


Therion's Bizarre Adventure

by HopelessRomantic1020



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Canon Related, Dialogue Heavy, Fantasy, Flashbacks, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lampshade Hanging, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV First Person, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-11-12 11:31:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 84,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18010127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelessRomantic1020/pseuds/HopelessRomantic1020
Summary: Collect all three Macguffins, get the band off my arm. That was the deal. What I hadn't planned on was getting dragged across all of Orsterra by a little girl and her six bodyguards. Gods, help me...





	1. The Insanity Arrives

**Author's Note:**

> Hhhhhh - 
> 
> So this is something I wrote quite some time ago and am still writing to this day. I can't help it, I love Therion. ^^; Not sure how this ended up being first-person, but I'm sticking with it for the sake of consistency! Much like my other ongoing work, "Yes, I Remember", I'll be crossposting the chapters from FF.net periodically to get you all caught up to speed!
> 
> This story's mostly sticking with canon, but with certain elements crossing over into other tales. I'd elaborate further, but that would probably be spoilery, so... Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our snarky thief protagonist botches a heist and gets blackmailed twice. Fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhh -
> 
> So this is something I wrote quite some time ago and am still writing to this day. I can't help it, I love Therion. ^^; Not sure how this ended up being first-person, but I'm sticking with it for the sake of consistency! Much like my other ongoing work, "Yes, I Remember", I'll be crossposting the chapters from FF.net periodically to get you all caught up to speed!
> 
> This story's mostly sticking with canon, but with certain elements crossing over into other tales. I'd elaborate further, but that would probably be spoilery, so... Enjoy!

“More,” I demanded as my mug hit the counter. 

“Crivens, that’s the fifth you’ve had this evenin’ alone! Haven’t you had enough?” 

“Barkeep. Do your job.” 

“... As you wish. More coin for me…”

Yeah, the ale here in Borderfall wasn’t great, but it got the job done. Another restless night warranted a few drinks, I think. Besides, I had just pulled off another flawless pickpocketing session; I think I deserved to be treated for once. 

The tavern was mostly empty, a few other thieves sitting at various tables. Why the bartender tolerates their presence, I’ll never know; they were loud, crass, and thieves through and through. Maybe they pay him to keep his mouth shut… 

“So,” I began, pausing to sip my drink, “what’s the word around town?” 

“More or less the usual, lad,” the barkeep shrugged. “I here House Ravus has seen better days, though. Ever since the Lady’s parents were killed, they’ve amped up security tenfold.”

“Must be housing something special, then,” I muttered, drumming my fingers on the counter.

“I’ll bet me left arm there’s untold riches just waitin’ to be pilfered there. Many a thief has tried and failed to just get in there, let alone get away unscathed. You’d do well to steer clear of it, lad.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I nodded, getting up and leaving a pouch of coins on the counter for him. A few other thieves eyed me strangely, but I ignored them and left the building to take in that sweet Borderfall air. 

… Okay, so maybe it wasn’t exactly sweet, but I guess it beat a musty tavern with equally-disgusting patrons. Making my way through the bustling streets of the slums, I reached the middle-class area and noticed a rapid change. People were smiling more often and weren’t clutching their purses and backpacks quite as tightly here... 

Heh. More for me. 

Stealing was easy; now, stealing in broad daylight, on the other hand… not so much. I had to be incredibly wary of who was watching and who I was pickpocketing from. Eventually, I settled on a lone target; a young merchant girl with brown hair. She seemed to be scribbling furiously in a book of some sort; this would be easy.

Moving swiftly and silently, I managed to slink my hand into her backpack and pulled out… an apple. 

‘Damn. Well, it’s something, I guess…’ 

“Oh! Hey, Mister!” 

“Ack!” 

Quickly hiding the apple in my coat, I looked down at the merchant girl; she was staring at me with wide eyes and… a smile. What the hell? 

“Hey, you! How would you say your experience in Borderfall has been thus far?” 

“Why do you care?” I retorted coldly, raising an eyebrow. 

“Ouch, okay. I’ll just jot that down as ‘rude to strangers’.” 

“Tch, whatever. I’ve got better things to do,” I spat before turning to leave. 

“W-wait!” the girl cried, grabbing onto my scarf a little too roughly. “Can you at least tell me your name?” 

I turned to her and gave her an incredulous look. “... What? Why?”

“I’ll give you mine if it helps,” she offered politely, straightening her hat and posing goofily with a thumbs-up. Offering her hand, she went on, “Name’s Tressa! Tressa the Merchant!” 

“Uh, thanks,” I remarked, my eyes darting suspiciously between her face and hand. “Don’t really recall asking, but good to know.” 

“Sheesh! So sour,” Tressa huffed. “Well, if you won’t give me a name, I’ll just have to give you one myself! How about… Fluffy? You know, cause of your scarf!” 

“I already have a name,” I argued, “and it sure as hell isn’t Fluffy.” 

Before she could continue pestering me, I spun on my heel and fled the scene quickly. By now, the streets were bustling once more; the perfect getaway. With any luck, I certainly wouldn’t be seeing that Tressa girl ever again. Now, to find that House Ravus… 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stupid old butler… if that even was his real profession. I beat him fair and square, how the hell did he manage to get the drop on me? And then that Cordelia girl had the gall to sound like she was actually concerned for my safety. As if… 

After a few days of traveling north of Borderfall, I had finally reached my first destination; the thriving city of Noblecourt.

“What a name,” I snorted, shaking my head. “At least I’m bound to find something good while I’m here. Like a certain ruby stone, even…” 

I made a beeline straight for the nearest tavern, hoping to pick up some intel and drinks at the same time. Hell, just drinks would be fine for the time being...

Taking my seat at the counter and ordering some ale, I decided to scope out the building. There weren’t that many patrons aside from myself, some pretty dancing girl on stage, and five strangers sitting at a table, all chatting and looking over a large map of some sort. There was a cleric, an apothecary, some noble-looking fellow… gods, was that a snow leopard? How did that get in? 

“Oh, bartender,” an annoyingly familiar voice cried out. “Another round on me!” 

Oh, gods. 

“Tressa, I really don’t think you’re in need of more mead,” the posh black-haired man said. “Especially considering your age…”

“Ah, c’mon, Cyrus,” the apothecary argued, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “What’s the worst that could happen? ‘Sides, she’s got Phili and me here to patch her up if somethin’ happens to her!” 

“I’m not so sure, Alfyn,” the cleric sighed. “It really doesn’t seem like a good idea…”

“I would agree with Professor Albright and Ophilia,” a more mature-sounding woman spoke up. Based on her garb, she appeared to be some sort of huntress. “Twould not doe to letten one as young as Tressa drink.” 

‘Oh, boy,’ I sighed internally as I sipped my drink. She was one of those…

“You guys are so lame,” Tressa huffed, folding her arms and sulking. “I’m an adult, y’know! If I’m old enough to fight pirates and find treasure, I think I can handle a little mead!” 

My ears pricked up upon hearing this, a side effect of being a natural thief. Sure, treasure could mean anything to the little tourist brat, but… 

As the gang continued to chat and drink, my eyes shifted from them to the little journal that was sitting on the edge of the table. It looked to be little more than a diary, but if there was any mention of treasure in there, it might be worth a peek. 

Staying low to the tavern floor, I silently crept over to the table and deftly swiped the journal while no one was looking. Sneaking back to the counter, I took the book out covertly and began to read it. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly noteworthy in it; the most interesting thing of note was that Tressa girl’s various diary entries detailing her little journey. Still, there was no real sign of treasure, especially regarding any of the dragonstones. 

“Well,” I sighed quietly, “guess I’d better go sneak this bac-”

“Hey! Where’s my journal?!” 

“... Damnit.” 

Though a few of her companions tried to calm her down, it was to no avail; Tressa grew increasingly frantic and began interrogating the few other patrons quite roughly. I swiftly downed the last of my drink and left some money on the counter before making for the door. No point in possibly incriminating myself. 

“Hey! You there, Scarfy!” 

I froze in my tracks as I felt eyes on my back. Turning, I replied coolly, “Yeah?” 

“Have you seen my journal, Mr.… Huh?!” 

Sure enough, Tressa had been the first person to approach me, her four companions and the snow leopard not far behind. 

“You know this guy, Tress?” 

“Yeah… I think I met him in Bolderfall a few days before I met you, Alf,” Tressa nodded, eying me warily. “Not a very friendly sort, though.”

“Tch. Whatever,” I huffed, turning to leave. “And for the record, no; I haven’t seen your diary.”

I didn’t get very far before the snow leopard growled, walking towards me and sniffing at me. I could feel the hair standing on the back of my neck as my blood ran cold.

“What is is, Linde?” the huntress began. “Hast thou foundeth something?”

Think, Therion, think… 

“Alright,” I sighed. “The jig is up. The barkeep paid me to do it.” 

“I did no such thing!” the bartender cried as the dancing girl from before walked over to the scene, observing quietly. 

As the group turned back towards them, I flung the journal in their direction and sprinted out the door and into the streets of Noblecourt. Like Borderfall, the place was bustling and brimming with numerous travelers; if I played it safe and hid amongst the crowd, I could- 

“Rawr!” 

“Hark! Whichen way did he goeth, Linde?” 

“Damn snow leopard,” I cursed, not even bothering to look back as I shoved my way through the crowd. I was so focused on making a speedy getaway that I hadn’t even seen the big guy in front of me before bumping into him. 

“Oho! Mind yourself, lad,” he chided, folding his arms and glaring at me. I could see that he was rather tall with a bulky build to match; that coupled with the blade at his side made him a poor target. 

“Right,” I coughed. “Sorry. I’ll just be on my way- ” 

“There he is!” I heard Tressa shout from behind us. To my utter dismay, the crowd had largely dissipated and her little group was well on its way towards us, the dancer following close behind. As I turned to leave, I found that the big guy had a firm grip on my arm. 

“Now hold just one moment,” he stated firmly. “If so many people are after you, there surely must be some reason.” 

“Nope, no reason at all,” I lied through my teeth. “May I go now?” 

“Not until you confess to stealing Tressa’s journal!” the black-haired scholar - Cyrus, I think - yelled with folded arms and a harsh glare. His fellow companions wore similar expressions, Tressa clenching her fists and staring into my soul. 

“Hey, I gave it back,” I explained, trying to find an opening. 

“You threw it at me!” Tressa shot back.

“I mean, technically I was aiming for at the barkeep…”

“I cannot believe that you’d steal something and then pin the blame on an innocent man,” the blonde cleric sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. “What would your parents think?” 

“Do not mention them,” I suddenly barked, causing everyone minus the big guy and the huntress to flinch. The snow leopard let out a low growl, glaring daggers at me. “... Look, I’m not gonna pretend like what I do is particularly savory or noble. That being said, I stole exactly one thing from you lot when I could have robbed you blind, and I was even kind enough to give that back. Now, I’m sure you’re all quite busy, but newsflash; so am I. So why don’t we just meet in the middle and agree to never see each other again?” 

“Much as I favor the idea,” the big guy started, “thieves like you ought not be allowed to roam free. I’m all for turning you in to the authorities.” 

“Likewise,” Cyrus agreed as most of Tressa’s companions nodded in agreement. 

Tressa, strangely, did not. 

“I… I dunno, guys. Stealing is wrong, no doubt about it, but he did give me back my journal… Maybe we can let him off the hook on one condition.”

“Name it,” I declared, looking the merchant square in the face. “Rotting in jail isn’t exactly gonna help me find what I’m looking for.”

“Tressa, I must implore you to reconsider,” Cyrus pleaded with nervous eyes. “Making deals with criminals strikes me as a bad idea all around.” 

“Indeed,” Ophilia spoke up. 

“I mean, he doesn’t seem that bad,” Alfyn sighed. “You know, for a thief.”

I smiled bitterly in response. The snow leopard started sniffing me, making me freeze. It then began licking me with its rough tongue. Disgusting...

“It woulde appeareth that Linde has taken a liking to the thief,” the huntress declared matter-of-factly. “Strange as it is, mayhaps he is not as bad as he coulde be.” 

“Oh, dear gods above,” I groaned, struggling against the big guy’s grasp. “Does she always talk like that? Doesn she knoweth not how stupide she soundeth?”

“... On second thought, mayhap Linde woulde prefereth having him as a meal over a companion.” 

“H’aanit, don’t be gruesome,” Ophilia gasped, holding her heart. 

“‘Twas but a jape…”

“Alright, alright,” Tressa called, getting everyone’s attention. “Now then, Mr. Thief; you should know that stealing is wrong and that you shouldn’t do it.”

“I mean, no shit it’s wrong.” 

“Language,” Cyrus chided. 

Shaking her head, Tressa continued. “However, we’ve already met once before and, while you were quite mean to me, I can tell that you’re not completely a bad guy. You’re just…”

“... Devilishly handsome?” I joked sardonically. “Handsomely devilish?” 

“Wha - ?! I mean,” Tressa coughed, tugging on the collar of her shirt. I saw the apothecary snicker as she did so. “N-no! What I was going to say is that, in spite of your unsavory deeds, you seem to be not completely horrible as a human being. Therefore, I’d like to offer you a formal invitation to join our little family!” 

“I… what?” I asked incredulously. I just… Huh? 

“Tressa,” Cyrus warned, “I really don’t think - ”

“Professor Albright, please! Don’t you think this would be a wonderful opportunity to study a real-life thief up close?” 

“Well, I suppose when you put it that way…”

“What am I, a science experiment?” I snarked. 

“I’m not entirely comfortable with this, Tressa,” Ophilia began, “... but I respect your decision as leader.”

“Seriously? You guys let a little girl run your crew?” I asked flatly, raising an eyebrow. “Next you’re gonna tell me you have a team name or something.” 

“Hey, that’s a great idea!” Tressa chirped with a grin. 

“Oh, of all the… on second thought, I think prison might actually be the preferable outcome here. C’mon, big guy, take me to the gaol.”

“No takesies-backsies, I hate that,” Tressa argued. “We are still gonna need a name though. How about… The Fateful Eight?” 

“Too on the nose,” Cyrus criticized. “What about… The League of Extraordinary Warriors?”

“Nah, too copyright-y,” Alfyn said. 

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted. “Eight? I thought there were only five of you in the party.”

“Seven, actually,” the huntress replied. “I am H’aanit. The burly man holden you is known as Olberic Eisenberg, and the lovely dancer with us is Primrose.”

“No need for flattery, H’aanit,” Primrose spoke up. “Still… thank you. I take it you enjoyed the show, Mr. Thief?” 

“Honestly, I was too caught up in reading a stupid diary to notice much.”

“Okay, rude,” Tressa huffed, sticking out her tongue at me. “That being said, are you still willing to join us on our little adventures?”

“I mean, it’s either that or going back to the slammer,” I shrugged. “Sure won’t be able to get what I need in there, so… ugh. Fine.”

“Yahoo!” Tressa cheered as the others chuckled at her enthusiasm. “We’re still gonna need to come up with an official team name though. In any case, welcome to the team, Fluffy!”

Alfyn practically howled with laughter as my cheeks burned. “Fluffy?! Ahahaha!” 

“Okay,” I snarled, “for starters, that is not my name. It’s Therion, alright? Second, why do we even need a name?” 

“Perhaps naming our group will allow us to form stronger bonds with each other,” Olberic mused, letting go of me. 

Now that I was free from his grip, I could have easily fled. Still… finding the dragonstones could prove troublesome. Maybe I could use these strange people as stepping stones to get what I need before slipping away in the dead of night…

“So! Any suggestions, Therion?” Tressa piped up, bringing me back into the conversation. 

“Tch,” I scoffed, folding my arms. “I don’t suppose ‘Merry Band of Assholes’ is very high on the list?” 

“Well. No need to be hurtful,” Ophilia mumbled, rubbing her arm and looking away. Suddenly, I felt kinda guilty...

“Heh. You’re funny, Fluffy,” Alfyn chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think that’ll fly well with the locals, though…”

“How about,” H’aanit proposed, “Thosen Who’de Seeketh to Purge - ” 

“No. No,” I growled. “Anything but that.” 

As H’aanit sulked in silence, Tressa began forming an idea in her head before smiling. 

“Ooh! I have a really good one,” she exclaimed, hopping up and down like a child in a candy store. “Well, there’s eight of us, right? And, in spite of us having our own paths to follow, we’ve somehow managed to be brought together and travel with each other, right?” 

“I really don’t like where this is going,” I sighed. 

“So,” Tressa began, striking a stupid pose. “I propose that we hereby and forever call ourselves the Octopath Travelers!” 

“Roll credits,” I huffed. “Can I go now?” 

“A splendid moniker, Tressa,” Cyrus applauded. “All in favor, say ‘I’.”

“I,” Alfyn nodded. 

“I!” Ophilia cheered. 

“I,” H’aanit smiled. 

“I think you’re all insane, and that is by far the worst name I have ever heard for anything in the history of Orsterra.”

“Shut up, Therion!” Tressa barked. “I’m the captain, and I say Octopath!” 

“Yeah, but - ”

“OCTOPATH!” 

“Okay, geez,” I sighed. “Octopath it is…”

“Yaaaay!” Tressa squealed, jumping up and down. Everyone smiled at this, even Olberic and Primrose. 

“Yay, great. Now what?” 

“I’m glad you asked, Therry,” Tressa answered with a wink. “Let’s get down to business!”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ll admit it, there were definitely worse ways to start an adventure than by eating in a fine bar with seven strangers. The food was pretty good, and the ale even better. Just where the hell did these people find all this money anyway? Maybe sticking with them would be good for my pockets in the long run…

“So,” Alfyn started, holding his mug. “An apothecary, a thief, a cleric, a dancer, a warrior, a merchant, a scholar, and a huntress all walk into a bar…”

“Running with all the cliches, I see,” I noted quietly before sipping my drink. 

“Don’t mind him, Alfyn,” Ophilia stated. “Go on.”

“... That was it, really,” the apothecary chuckled nervously. “Truthfully, I’ve always kinda wanted to say that, haha…”

“Really now?” Cyrus asked, picking curiously at his mutton with a fork. “You just so happened to be saving that particular joke for a situation where you’d find yourself sharing dinner with seven other talented individuals?” 

“Man, you can read me like a book, Professor!” 

“Well, you’re not exactly a full novel, my medicinal companion.” 

“Oof. No need to be mean, now. That is Therion’s job, after all!”

“You’re damn right it is,” I chuckled quietly. 

“So, Therion,” Ophilia said warily, “what brings you all the way to Noblecourt? Tressa said you were from Borderfall.” 

“I was looking to surround myself with beautiful women and good mead,” I quipped, causing her to blush. “Being blackmailed - now, that was just icing on the cake.” 

“Ha,” she coughed before pausing to drink some of her water, “w-well then…” 

“Keep an eye on this one, Ophilia,” Olberic warned, staring me down. “I suspect that he’s not above stealing more than just material possessions…” 

“Geez. You steal one book and you’re a criminal for life…”

“But you haven’t stolen just a book, now have you?” Primrose prodded. 

“...” 

“Heh. I thought not.”

“That reminds me,” I commented, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small pouch full of money. I’ll never understand why they’re called “leaves”, but… 

Shaking my head, I passed the pouch over to Tressa. 

“Oh? What’s this for?” 

“That apple that went missing from your bag a few weeks ago,” I smirked. “I figure that should be enough.”

“Thou wouldst stealen an apple from a young merchant? For what reason?”

“Probably to look like even more of an asshole,” Primrose giggled. 

“Language, Primrose!” 

“Oh, come off it, Cyrus. A little more alcohol and you’d be swearing like a sailor in no time flat!” Alfyn laughed. 

As the group continued to laugh and chat, my gaze shifted from the table to a nearby window. A crow sat on the branch of a nearby tree, peering inside. As I returned its steely gaze, the bird suddenly flew off, leaving a single black feather behind. Maybe it was an omen…

“... What a crock of shit.” 

In any case, this bunch of misfits was certainly an odd one, but I wasn’t exactly bored when in their presence. In fact, I almost felt like I was having some measure of fun for some reason… heh. I really don’t think they can be trusted, but they’re certainly entertaining if nothing else. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all…


	2. A Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the gang starts trying to welcome their newest member and Therion's only concerned with getting the ruby dragonstone back to House Ravus.

" _Heh… you always were a sentimental little tea leaf, Therion."_

" _Nghh... why…?"_

" _..."_

I jolted from my bed, sweating profusely and panting. It was always that same dream… that  _nightmare_ …

Looking around the dark inn room, I could see that everyone seemed to be fast asleep. I still don't understand how they managed to book such a large room, let alone why we all had to share it, but I wasn't in the mood to think about it right now.

Sighing, I got out of bed and put on my coat and boots; I definitely wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon. Maybe a little midnight stroll would clear my head a bit.

Silently creeping out of the room, I made my way through the lobby and past the sleeping innkeeper before being stopped by a gentle voice.

"Going somewhere, Therion?"

Turning, I could see the blonde cleric standing not too far behind me, a weary look on her face; it seemed like I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

"Just getting some fresh air," I explained. "These inns are, ah, a little stuffy."

"Hehe… I see," she giggled, shaking her head. "In that case, mind if I accompany you?"

"Tch. Do what you want," I said with a shrug, opening the front door and walking out. Despite myself, my hand lingered on the door as I looked back at her; sure enough, she was only a few steps behind me.

The cool night air of Noblecourt licked at us both as we exited the inn. I paced around for a bit before deciding to climb up onto the roof of the inn.

"Therion!" Ophilia whispered as loudly as she could. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Admiring the view," I shot back. I saw her fidget a bit, her cheeks turning pink. Rolling my eyes, I continued, "No, seriously, come up here and look."

"I… what? I couldn't possibly do that!"

"Here," I said, crawling down from my spot and offering my hand.

"Therion, I don't think - "

"Alright, your loss."

"W-wait!" she suddenly squeaked. I turned back to look at her strangely before she continued. "I-I mean, perhaps it's worth a try…"

Cautiously, Ophilia took my hand as I helped her up onto the rooftop. I admit, it was pretty funny to see her stumble around on the roof before finding a comfortable spot to sit on.

"Alright, now what's this view you were… talking… about…?"

Sure enough, our spot was directly facing the moon, its radiant light shimmering down onto us. Many a night I spent up on the roof of various buildings just taking in the beauty of it all. In a weird way, it kinda put my mind at ease. Of course, having a couple of drinks under the moonlight certainly helped…

"Wow," the cleric gasped, her eyes wide with awe. "You were right, Therion! This certainly  _is_ a sight worth admiring…"

"Heh. Well," I coughed, gazing up at the moon awkwardly. "I've had plenty of experience…"

"I'm sure you have," Ophilia retorted in an almost teasing manner, eyeing me strangely. "So, um, if you don't mind my asking…"

"Oh, I mind. I mind a lot."

"What brings a common thief like you to Noblecourt?"

"I'm hardly what the thief community would label  _common_ ," I retorted, "but… business. I'm here on behalf of a client."

"I see… and would that client have anything to do with the band on your arm, perchance?"

"What the…?" I began, looking at her suspiciously. "... How did you know?"

"Hee hee," Ophilia giggled, covering her mouth politely. "Well, it's as you said; you're no common thief, right? And if you're working for some client unlike how a common thief would only work for themselves, it would stand to reason that whoever hired you must have had some leverage over you, yes?"

"Clever girl," I muttered, looking away indignantly. "... You learned that from Cyrus, didn't you?"

"Partially. Of everyone we've met, he was my first partner, after all," she explained. "We met Tressa and Olberic sometime after dealing with the fiasco in Cyrus's city of Atlasdam, and we became a traveling group just like that! We soon met H'aanit, Alfyn, and Primrose a few weeks later."

"Such riveting exposition," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "So you all just so happened to be traveling together by the time Tressa arrived in Bolderfall? Where was everybody? And for that matter, why are you lot traveling together in the first place?"

"It's… a little hard to explain, really…"

"Translation: the author is a lazy asshole who doesn't want to be bothered explaining why these things are happening."

"Therion!" Ophilia admonished. "There's no need for such vulgarity. It's really quite simple; when Tressa first met Olberic and later Cyrus, the three of them had formed a pact of sorts. They all had different goals, but would band together to help each other whenever necessary; strength in numbers and all that."

"Hm… makes sense," I nodded. "Not really my style, but it definitely makes sense."

Ophilia nodded in kind, smiling. "Indeed… I was the fourth member of the group. Traveling west, we ended up recruiting H'aanit and later Alfyn before meeting Primrose in Clearbrook's tavern."

"Yeah, okay," I replied. "Still… it's kind of amazing that all of you seem to actually  _want_ to work together instead of doing your own thing."

"Is it really that strange?"

"I mean… isn't it natural to prioritize yourself above other people?"

"Not for me," she sighed, staring wistfully at the moon. "In fact, my own journey started as a result of looking out for someone  _else_ ' _s_ well-being. Two someone's, to be correct."

'Oh, gods,' I thought. 'She's about to spout more boring exposition, isn't she?'

"You see, my father and sister…"

'Ughhhh…'

"... And that is why I must travel to Saintsbridge, Goldshore, and back to Flamesgrace in order to perform the Sacred Kindlings in each of their churches in my sister's stead," she finished, still gazing up at the sky.

"Great," I quipped sourly. "Still, I guess it's noble for you to take your sister's place. Sounds like a lot of work for a burdened heart to accomplished."

"Precisely," Ophilia sighed, hugging her knees to her chest like a child. "Seeing how sad Lianna was when the Archbis- I mean, our father, became ill just broke my heart in two… I couldn't bear to force them to part. They've both done so much for me, and if this really is the end for him… then he deserves to have his daughter by his side in his final moments."

"... Then why aren't you there?"

"Huh?"

"You're adopted, sure, but he still took you in and raised you like his daughter, didn't he?"

"..."

"Look," I sighed, shutting my eyes. "I'm not telling you how to live your life or anything, but at least you have two people in this world that seem to love you like a true family would. If nothing else, you have someone to return to once your journey's reached its end."

"Oh, my goodness," she gasped, hands over her mouth. "This is about what I said about your parents yesterday, isn't it? I'm so sorry - "

I held out a hand. "Save it. They obviously didn't care enough about me to stick around when I was a kid, why should I care about them now that I'm an adult?"

"Therion…"

"Don't you dare give me that look of pity," I scoffed, looking away from her. "I'm alive and well. I don't need anything or anyone else to slow me down. You know, minus the seven friendly strangers that blackmailed me into joining them."

"But - "

"I think I've gotten enough fresh air," I spoke, beginning to climb down from the inn roof. "I'm going back in now. Need me to help you down?"

"N-no, I think I can manage on my own," Ophilia refused politely, though she still looked sad. "Thank you, Therion. Sleep well…"

"Likewise."

I entered the inn and made my way back to our room quietly. Just where in the hell did all of that serious talk come from? I thought they were just a bunch of zany weirdos on a journey. I didn't sign on for all of this!

'Still,' I thought as I climbed back into bed, beginning to doze off again. 'I guess that could've gone worse…'

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning came a lot quicker than I had hoped. The group had all agreed to have breakfast at the nearby tavern before doing some exploring around Noblecourt. Perhaps now would be a good time to get some information from some of the locals regarding the ruby dragonstone…

"Therion, buddy," Alfyn crooned, arm over my shoulder. "Your face is gonna stick like that if you keep frownin'! You gotta relax every now and again!"

"This isn't a frown," I protested. "This is my normal face."

"Oh, dear," Primrose sighed. "And to think, you'd be so much handsomer if you would only smile…"

"Yes. Because that's totally what a thief needs."

"Hey, it couldn't hurt…"

"Tch…"

"Hey!" Tressa called, standing from her seat. "I know what'll make him smile! Let's play another round of Red Robin Recap!"

Everyone groaned at this.

"Tressa, no," Cyrus moaned, face in his hand.

"Must we really do this again?" Olberic complained.

"Hey, c'mon! It's customary to play this game whenever we get a new member," Tressa argued with a grin. "Therion's still the new guy, right? I'm sure he has so many questions regarding all of us!"

"Nope. Don't mind me," I retorted bluntly, grabbing an apple off of the table and examining it closely. "Just here for the food."

"And what better way to play," the young merchant continued, pulling an accordion from out of nowhere, "than with a little music?"

"Okay, what the fu- "

"Ahem," Tressa cleared her throat, "and-a-one, and-a-two, and a one-two-three four!  _Ohhhh_ …"

The song lasted approximately ten seconds before the eight of us were thrown out of the establishment by the other tavern patrons. H'aanit's snow leopard, Linde, hissed and swatted at the barkeep as the poor bastard fled back inside and locked the door.

"Smooth, Tress," Alfyn bitterly complained. "I didn't even get to finish my breakfast…"

"Hmph," Tressa huffed, pouting. "The last barkeep whose tavern we sang in didn't seem to have a problem with it…"

"That's because you put sleepweed in his mug, Tressa," Ophilia pointed out, giving her a look of disapproval.

"Hey, you saw how he was eyeballing me! He had it coming."

"I dunno," I started, getting everyone's attention. "I kinda liked the song, actually."

"Really?" Tressa beamed with wide eyes.

"Absolutely. Oh, and by 'liked', I of course mean 'hated with all my soul'."

"Oooohh!" Tressa cried, stamping her feet in place. "You are  _such_ a jerk, Therion! Whose idea even was it to have you join us in the first place?!"

"..."

"... Oh yeah."

"In any case, I've got some work to do," I announced, turning to leave. "I'll meet you all back in the inn around sundown."

"Now wait just a moment," Olberic said as he walked in front of me. "Do you really think we would just let you saunter off without any supervision whatsoever, thief?"

"Olberic," Tressa started.

"No, he's right," I agreed, nodding slightly. "If I were in any of your shoes, I definitely wouldn't trust me either."

"Yes, well, we can't all very well accompany you at the moment," Cyrus stated matter-of-factly. "I have a bit of digging to do myself regarding the whereabouts of a certain tome. Perhaps some of the locals might be willing to answer a few questions…"

"Ha! Not the way you ask 'em," Alfyn chuckled. "Something tells me I'd better go with you in case I need to smooth things over…"

"I just don't understand! Is it not natural to ask strangers for something as simple as the time?"

"It's not when you hold them by the collar of their shirt and interrogate them…"

"That was but  _once_!"

"In  _any_ case," Tressa interrupted, "Olberic is right, Therion. We definitely can't have you running around stealing from people anymore."

"Then why bring a thief into your ranks to begin with?"

"No back-talk, mister! Today, you're with me, Olberic, and Phili."

"Hooray," I groaned. "I get to spend the day with three goody-goodies. It's every thief's dream!"

"If it is fine with thee," H'aanit said to Tressa, "I woulde accompanyeth Professor Albright and Alfyn throughout the city today."

"Sounds like a plan!" Tressa chirped. Turning to the ever-quiet Primrose, she added, "What about you, Primmy?"

I couldn't help but notice that the dancer had appeared lost in thought beforehand, staring off into the distance with a sad look to her. Maybe it was Noblecourt, or maybe she was always this forlorn, but…

"Ah… I think I'll do a little investigating of my own today," Primrose replied, breaking out of her trance. "I'm certain that someone here must know a thing or two about the crow men."

I eyed the dancer strangely for a moment. "Riiiight. Well, I guess our little squad better get a move on then. Try not to slow me down."

"Uh, excuse you?  _I_  happen to be the leader here, not you," Tressa asserted, adjusting her hat and puffing out her chest with an exaggerated look on her face. Walking in front of us, she continued, "Well, I guess our little squad better get a move on!"

"I literally  _just_ said that - "

"Onward!"

Sighing, I looked towards Cyrus's group. "Is she always like this?"

"In all earnesty, she seems a little more fired up than usual," Alfyn noted, stroking his chin. "Maybe she's just tryin' to look good for you, haha."

" _Alfyn_!" Tressa cried, glaring daggers at him.

"What?"

The rest of the group shared a chuckle as we went our separate ways for the day, Olberic and Ophilia at my sides as Tressa walked ahead of us all, whistling as she went.

"Little Tressa is certainly full of energy this morning," the tall knight pointed out.

"Doesn't it just warm your heart, Therion?" Ophilia chimed.

"No."

"O-oh… well then…"

"What are you guys even doing here in Noblecourt anyway?" I asked.

"We just happened to be passing through the area when Cyrus and Primrose suggested we stop for a bit."

"Heh. Right. You lot just so happened to stop here the same day I arrived."

"And what are  _you_  doing in this fair city, Therion?" Olberic questioned, giving me a suspicious look as we passed by several fruit carts.

"Like I said, I have business here," I said with a shrug, trying to keep it vague. "I'm supposed to retrieve something for my client. My first stop happened to be here in Noblecourt."

"I see… You're on a thieving mission, no doubt."

"I mean, the item in question was stolen from its rightful owner in the first place," I rationalized. "I'm just returning it to its proper place."

"A noble sentiment to be sure," Ophilia beamed at me. "Perhaps you're really not so bad after all, Therion…"

"Even so," Olberic interjected, "I strongly doubt that you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart. I suspect your client has some leverage over you."

"And here I thought you were just the dumb muscle of the group," I snarked. "But for your information, yes. You lot weren't the only ones to have blackmailed me. Congratulations."

"Hmm…"

"Hold on," Ophilia called, freezing in her tracks. "Where did Tressa get to?"

"Aiyeeeeh! Someone help meeee!"

Not wasting any time, the three of us rushed towards the sound of the cry, weapons in hand, only to find that Tressa was haggling a defenseless merchant just around the corner.

"Tressa, what the hell?" I sighed.

"What? I wasn't doing anything wrong," she explained. "I was just walking around buying stuff from people when I overheard this guy talk about a ruby stone here in town! Do you have any idea how valuable that could be?!"

"A ruby stone?" I questioned, my ears pricking slightly at the mention. "... Go on."

"I-it's just a rumor, mind you," the merchant explained cautiously, "but the story is that there's a creepy mansion on the outskirts of town. Apparently, whoever lives there spends all of their time studying this weird gemstone. They even send their guards to pick up groceries for them!"

"Oh, of course," I chuckled sarcastically. "Of course it's being held by a shut-in with his own personal guards. It can never just be as simple as stealing an apple from a merchant, now can it?"

"You know, I'm still kinda mad at you for that," Tressa admitted, folding her arms. "Still… if one of us needs to get in that mansion, it's up to all of us to make that happen!"

"Seriously? I just met you people yesterday."

"Yeah, so? You're one of us now, and helping each other out is what we do!" Tressa exclaimed cheerfully. "... You know, except when it comes to pickpocketing innocent townspeople. That's not cool."

"Even  _if_ you manage to get past the guards," the merchant explained, "there's still the rumor about the secret door that will only open with a secret key. Supposedly, there's a scholar here in town that used to work in the mansion, but..."

"Who is he and where might we find him?" Ophilia inquired gently. "Perhaps we can reach a peaceful agreement."

"Name's Barham. I don't really know if he'll be willing to talk, but I  _do_  know that he lives in that house over there," the merchant replied, pointing towards a small house south of our position.

"Thanks for the tip," I nodded, walking off in the direction.

"N-not a problem!"

"Therion, wait up!" Tressa called from behind me.

"What?" I called back over my shoulder. "I got what I needed. Let's just find this Barham guy already."

"Hey," she continued, jogging to catch up with me. "There's nothing wrong with stopping to smell the flowers every now and again, you know."

"Indeed," Olberic agreed, taking in a deep breath. "I daresay the daffodils are in full bloom, in fact!"

"Oh, is that why this part of town smells like piss? Good to know."

"Goodness, Therion," Ophilia sighed. "The vulgarity just never stops with you, does it? What happened to that sweeter side of you I saw last night?"

"Huh!?" I exclaimed, my eyes wide and my ears starting to burn.

"Woah!" Tressa yelled, seemingly sharing my sentiment. "You've only known her for a day and you're already sneaking out to whisper sweet nothings? You're a dirty dog, Therry."

"W-what?" Ophilia gasped, looking confused for a moment before the implication set in. "Oh… oh goodness,  _no_! I… I certainly didn't mean to imply…"

"Oh, you implied it, alright," I groaned, a hand to my forehead. "Nothing happened, alright? We just talked for a bit, okay? I didn't even want to in the first place; I just needed some fresh air."

"Ah, to be young and in love," Olberic mused, staring off into the distance. "The Knights of Hornburg had no time for such distractions, and yet - "

"There was no love!" I barked, now walking towards Barham's house at a faster pace.

"A-Absolutely no love! It was just a simple chat under the stars, and that's that!"

"If you say so," Tressa shrugged.

"Gods above, why me?" I groaned, rolling my eyes.

This group was wearing me out and it hadn't even been an hour yet. The moment I got what I needed from this Barham guy, I was going into that mansion alone. Gods know I don't need any more distractions…


	3. Barhamming It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Therion goes on annoying fetch quests in an attempt to gain access to Orlick's mansion.

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Yes, yes, I'm coming…"

Our group of four backed away from the door as it opened to reveal a middle-aged man in a scholarly robe, bags under his eyes.

"Well now, what do we have here?" he asked, blinking a few times as he scrutinized our party. "It's not every day I get a visit from a scruffy young man, a little merchant girl, a sturdy knight, and a Sister of the Flame. I must say, whoever was knocking had quite the obnoxious knock. One might even call it ob-knocks-ious, dohoho! See, because the word 'knock' sounds a lot like - "

"Enough," I growled, not in the mood. "You. You're Barham, right?"

"... And if I am?"

"Then you might be of some use to me. I need to get into that mansion on the outskirts of town."

"Ah, yes," the man sighed, closing his eyes. "Orlick…"

"Huh?" Tressa asked, tilting her head like a lost puppy. "What's that?"

"Orlick was my old research partner some odd years ago," Barham explained. "He and I, we were like brothers…"

"I know the feeling," Olberic sighed, staring wistfully into the distance.

"Yeah, yeah, touching," I snarked, trying to shake the word "partner" out of my head. "Look, nobody cares, alright? Just help me get that stupid rock back from him."

"Therion!" Ophilia admonished with a harsh glare, clutching her staff tightly. "There's no need to be rude."

"Ohoho! I see at least one of you has manners," Barham coughed. Turning away with his hand on the doorknob, he continued, "In any case, I'm afraid I can't help you lovely people today. Good day."

Before he could fully shut the door, my dagger found its way right into the doorframe and prevented it from closing. The older scholar looked at me with a mix of fear and amazement before finally speaking again. "... On second thought, perhaps I might be able to assist you. Within reason, mind…"

"Thank you," I nodded, walking into the house and holding the door open for the other three. Each of them gave me a scathing glare as they walked by, but I merely shrugged and turned my attention to the nerd at the back of the house. "So then, Barham. What can you tell me about Orlick's place?"

"Heheheh," Tressa giggled quietly. "Or _lick_."

"Oh, really, Tressa," Ophilia complained, her cheeks burning. "Show some maturity…"

"C'mon, Phili! You cannot  _tell me_  that isn't a funny name! C'mon, just say it one time!"

"W-what?! No!"

"Orlick's mansion is quite well-fortified," Barham explained as he leaned on his counter for support. "Two guards hold the front, and everyone else is inside."

"Sounds like House Ravus," I snorted. "Stupid random encounter bullshit…"

"Language, Therion!"

"Swearing in front of a Sister?" Barham chuckled. "You really are a brazen one… Ehem. Now then, the two guards at the front won't let you through without a password."

"That password being…?"

"I'm getting to it. Even  _if_ I give you the password, though, there's still the matter of the locked door that leads to his workplace. Not just any key can help you get in there, you know…"

"Alright, so how about giving me what I need so I can get out of what little hair you have?"

"I'll have you know that I'm not  _that_ old, thank you very much," Barham retorted, folding his arms. "As it happens though, I  _am_ at that age where my memory is faltering a bit, so I'm afraid I can't quite recall the password at present…"

"Wait, let me guess," I began in an annoyed tone. "If I go on a stupid fetch quest and bring you something that you need, you'll just  _magically_ remember the password?"

"Mmm… yes!"

"Unbelievable."

"Serves you right for being rude, thief," Olberic chuckled.

"Whatever, meathead. Just tell me what you need, Barham."

"I need water. Not just  _any_ water, mind you; I need only the cleanest, purest,  _tastiest_ of water. Pure water that was filtered through the sands of the Sunlands, no less!"

"And just how the hell am I supposed to find that?"

"Figure it out," Barham waved, turning away to fiddle with the contraptions at his work table. "There should be a merchant arriving today that brings it into Noblecourt, so just bring that sweet Oasis Water back here."

"Alright then," I sighed, turning to leave. "Stay here, everyone. I'll be back with the water."

"Uh, I don't think so," Tressa announced, standing in my way with arms outstretched. "You're just gonna pilfer it from that poor merchant, aren't you? Not if Tressa has anything to say about it!"

"I mean, if you feel like wasting your own money rather than getting it for free - "

"It's not a waste if it means doing the right thing, Therion," our little leader explained. "Besides, did you really think we would trust you to wander the streets alone so soon after having recruited you?"

"... Honestly, I can understand the whole lack of trust thing," I sighed, closing my eyes. "Alright, you can come along."

"Excuse you?  _I'm_ going to get the fancy water;  _you're_ the one coming along. Got it?"

"Tch, whatever…"

"Woohoo! Let's go make a merchant's day!" Tressa cheered, grabbing me by the wrist and dragging me out of the house with her. "Olberic, Phili! You two stay here and keep the nice man company!"

"She's quite the excitable one, isn't she?" I heard Barham say as we left.

"More than you know…"

* * *

Tressa ran through the streets of Noblecourt like a madwoman, myself following closely behind. She searched high and low for a merchant-looking fellow until she spotted one near the center of town.

"Oasis Water!" the merchant cried, flashing a couple of bottles about. "Get some nice, clean Oasis Water here!"

"I still don't understand why you won't just let me snatch it," I huffed, gazing at the bottled water. "It would be quick, painless, and free above all else. C'mon, just one bottle…"

"No. Bad Therion. Bad," Tressa chided, glaring daggers at me. "Consider this your punishment for nearly stabbing Barham earlier…"

"My punishment is… watching someone else spend their money on something I could have gotten for free that would  _only_ have benefited me?"

"... You know what?" Tressa sighed, sulking as we made our way over to the merchant. "I'll come up with better punishments for you later, okay?"

"Oho! I see we have a young couple with us today," the merchant announced, wiggling his eyebrows like an idiot. "Shall I make it a two-for-one deal, little lady?"

"What the heck?! We're not a couple!" Tressa shouted a little louder than she probably should have. Seeing the turned heads, she explained, "Er, we're just friend- acquaintances! That's it, yeah!"

"... Friendacquaintances?" the water-peddling merchant asked, tilting his head with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Tressa cheered. "He's my brother's wife's uncle's cousin's next-door neighbor's friend-person."

"Nice save, Tiny," I snorted, rolling my eyes at Tressa's insanity.

"Quiet, you."

"Oh… Well," the Oasis Water merchant coughed awkwardly, "in that case, want to buy some of my famous Oasis Water?"

"Yep!"

"Excellent! How much would you like?"

"One bottle - "

"I'd like to buy all of it!" Tressa announced cheerfully, surprising us both.

"What? Why? We only need one - "

"Hey! I'm the merchant here, and the leader to boot," Tressa argued, staring at me with a firm expression. "I think this is gonna be a good investment, alright?"

"Well, in that case, I'd be more than happy to sell all of my water to you! Of course, seeing as I only have two bottles left…"

"That'll do," Tressa smiled pleasantly, handing the man a decently sized sack of coins in exchange for the two bottles. "Thank you!"

"No, little missy, thank  _you_!" The waterless merchant chimed with a similar smile. "That scruffy-looking boyfriend of yours had better take good care of you!"

"I'm not her boyfriend!" I shouted, glaring. "I'm her uncle's… cousin's… whatever. Let's get the hell out of here…"

"R-right!"

* * *

"We're baaack!" Tressa shouted obnoxiously, kicking the door open. "And Therion brought you the water you wanted!"

"Did you now?" Barham questioned from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, here you go," I responded, tossing him one of the bottles.

Surprisingly enough, the old egghead managed to catch it.

"Oh, good," he replied with a nod. "This is just what my experiment demanded!"

Without warning, the scholar opened the bottle and immediately downed its contents. With a pleased sigh, he carelessly threw the bottle over his shoulder and out a nearby window, frightening a neighborhood cat.

"... Well?" he asked, staring at me. "Go get me some more!"

"What the hell?  _That's_ what you wanted the water for? I would have thought that an egghead like you would have used it for an experiment or something."

"I was parched," Barham shrugged. "Now, do you want that password or not? If so, more Oasis Water!"

"Told you buying the other bottle was a good idea," Tressa chided with a smirk as she handed it graciously to the reclining scholar on the sofa. "Here you go. By the way, this was the last bottle we were able to find, so be sure to save this one!"

"Very well," Barham sighed, nodding.

"Hey, where's Meathead and Miss Goody-Goody?" I asked him, looking around.

"Oh! They politely offered to trim my bushes out back," Barham explained. Walking over to a nearby window, Tressa and I could see that the other two were indeed tending to Barham's garden, Olberic swinging his sword around like a madman.

"How's this for a hedge knight?! Haaah!"

"HEY!" Barham shouted from the couch. "You'd better keep that sword well away from my petunias, you hear me?!"

"Look, I don't have time for this," I groaned. "Just give me the password and key so I can leave."

"Not so fast," Barham stated firmly.

"Oh, I  _really_ don't like the sound of that…"

"It just so happens that I need a few more things," Barham elaborated, reaching into his robe and pulling out a piece of paper. Said piece of paper unfurled to reveal an exceedingly long scroll. Tressa's jaw hit the floor at about the same time the scroll did. "The circled items are of the most importance, but if you could be so kind as to get the rest for me, I'll gladly hold up my end of the bargain."

"What the hell is this?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "I didn't agree to go grocery shopping!"

"These aren't groceries! These are very crucial components for my experiments!"

"Bread, eggs, breaded eggs," Tressa read the list aloud, her eyes scanning the piece of paper tenaciously. "Yeah, no, this is definitely a grocery list. Do we  _really_ need to buy all this stuff…?"

"Of course not," I whispered, leaning closer to her. "I could always - "

" _No_. No," Tressa denied, giving me the stink-eye. "We're doing this my way, alright?"

"But this is  _my_ mission," I shot back. "Why do you even care so much anyway?"

"I… um…"

"Well? Are you going to get my groceries or not?" Barham questioned obnoxiously, scroll still in hand. "I'm not getting any younger."

"We're well aware," I growled. "Besides, I thought they  _weren't_ groceries."

"They're not!"

"But you just said… ugh! Whatever," I huffed, snatching the piece of paper from him. "I'll be back with your shit."

"Therion!" Tressa gasped.

"Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

The sun had nearly gone down by the time we made it back to Barham's place with everything on his list. Who knew one man could eat so godsdamn much? Unsurprisingly enough, Barham was reclining in his chair as Olberic was rubbing his fee - Waitwaitwaitwaitwait,  _WHAT?!_

"C'mon, mush, you lazy bums!" Barham demanded as Ophilia massaged his shoulders and Olberic tended to his feet.

"This is abhorrent… how did we even agree to this?" the knight sighed.

"What the  _hell_  is going on in here?"

"Oh, good! You're back!" Barham replied cheerfully, smiling at me from his seat.

"Yeah, we are," I snarled, "and we brought  _everything_ you asked for. The crystal ore, the wyvern scale, milk, meat, eggs -  _Everything_! Now just fulfill your end of the bargain already!"

"Therion, please!" Ophilia cried. "There's really no need to be so rude. Though, I'll admit, it would be nice to relax for a moment…"

"Aww," Barham cooed mockingly at me, raising a plate of fruit from out of nowhere. "Sour grapes?"

"... What?"

"Oh, come now. You've never heard the expression before?"

Everyone blinked in surprise, saying nothing.

Barham stared at me, unamused, before tossing the plate over his head unceremoniously. Frankly, Ophilia was lucky not to have been hit by anything.

"Alright, fine. Just leave the supplies on the counter and come see me around this time tomorrow. I should be finished with the key by then."

"And the password?"

"Oh, yes," Barham nodded. "The password is 'the truth of all things'."

"Heh, right," I snorted. "'Truth'..."

"I gave you the password, but it's useless without the key as I said before. Come back tomorrow," Barham said before moving over to the couch where he quickly passed out.

"Are you two alright?" Tressa asked our companions.

"I appear to be no worse for wear," Olberic noted quietly. "My hands, though… I fear they might never recover from the horrors they faced today. Perhaps it would be more humane for Alfyn to just amputate them..."

"Oh, dear," Ophilia sighed, a hand on her heart. "I certainly can't say I envy you right now, Olberic…"

"Let's just meet the others at the inn," I groaned.

Nodding, our party moved out to meet with the rest of the group.

* * *

"My, you four look positively worn out," Cyrus noted as we sat by the edge of our beds, unwinding for the night. "What happened?"

"Stupid fetch quests," I sighed. "You know how it is."

"Ah, yes. Quite."

"Aww, c'mon, Therion!" Tressa called from the other side of the room. "It wasn't  _that_ bad. It may have put a few dents in our collective wallet, but…"

"I'm telling you," I argued, "you didn't have to do that for me. I could have handled everything myself."

"Unlikely," H'aanit noted as she stroked Linde by her bedside. "No one man nor woman coulde handleth everything, Master Thief."

"It was a simple, if heavily embellished, grocery list. I could have gotten everything I needed in an hour's time and Tressa wouldn't have had to spend a single leaf."

"It's the principle of the thing, Therion," Tressa explained with a sigh. "What kind of merchant and leader would I be if I just let you steal things from people?"

"If you didn't want a thief in the party, maybe you shouldn't have blackmailed said thief into joining you," I scoffed, rolling over in bed so that I was facing a wall. "Night."

"Not much for conversation, is he?" I heard Primrose utter as I shut my eyes.

"He has his reasons," Ophilia mused somberly.

"You okay, Phili?"

"Yeah, Alfyn… I'm fine."

"Alright, alright," Olberic called, "let's all go to bed, now. I'm sure we have a busy day ahead of us!"

"Right you are, my friend! I've not yet found any clues regarding the whereabouts of the missing tome, but I'll not give up hope yet!"

"Then it's settled. Good night, everyone. Rest well."

"Good night."

"Night!"

"Nighty night."

"Goode nighten."

"Heh," I chuckled softly. "Night…"

* * *

I sighed inwardly as I got out of bed, sleep evading me yet again. I decided to sneak out of the inn for a bit to do a bit of reflecting. Tomorrow would be the day that I return the ruby dragonstone back to Bolderfall, and I had to be sure not to botch up the job.

Quietly exiting the establishment, I walked around for a bit before hearing two voices. Instinctively, I lunged quickly so that I was in the shadows of a nearby building, keeping my eyes and ears peeled. As I slowly crept along the side of the building, a fountain came closer and closer into my vision. Peering through the darkness, I could vaguely make out two figures; a girl with long brown hair, and a man with white hair. They appeared to be laughing and chatting just like old times…

"Well, it was certainly a pleasure to see you again, Primrose," I heard the white-haired man announce.

"Simeon…"

"Who the heck is  _Simeon_?"

Had I not been a more seasoned thief, I would have pissed myself then and there. Who would have thought that a little merchant girl could be so frightening?

"Tressa!" I whispered harshly. "What the hell?"

"That's what I'm saying!" Tressa shot back, still observing the scene. "I didn't know Primmy had a boyfriend!"

"Gods above, would you just keep your voice down? You don't wanna scare them off!"

"Right, right, sorry."

"I'm afraid I must be going now, but it was lovely to see you again, my dear. If you're ever in Noblecourt again, we simply must meet for tea."

"Simeon… I would enjoy that very much."

"Cuuuute!" Tressa practically squeed before clamping a hand over her mouth. Thankfully, they were too far away to have noticed… somehow.

The two of us stuck to the shadows as Primrose made her way past our building and back into the inn, briefly looking over her shoulder as she did so.

"Whew," Tressa breathed, slumping against the wall and onto the ground. "Being sneaky is hard. I have no idea how you do it, Theri!"

"Never call me that again. What were you even doing out here anyway?"

"Just checking in, making sure our resident thief wasn't doing anything illegal," she chimed with an annoying smirk on her face.

"Are you sure you didn't come here just because you missed me?"

"Huh?!" Tressa exclaimed, her eyes wide as her bravado cracked.

_Gotcha_.

"D-don't be insane! It could never happen in a gazillion years!"

"Heh. You got that right. Now come on, I'm tired of standing around out here."

"Hmph! Fine by me…"

As the two of us crept quietly into our inn room, we could see Primrose snuggled peacefully in her blanket as if she had never left. It was hard to tell due to the darkness, but it seemed like the ghost of a smile was on her resting face. As everyone else was readily asleep, Tressa and I decided to do the same.

"Good night, Theri."

"Grr… whatever."

I sighed as I flopped into bed, tuckered out from the day's events. Tomorrow would be the big heist and, if I played my cards right, I could make off with the ruby dragonstone and say goodbye to Noblecourt for the time being. Still… that guy that Primrose was with…

No. Whoever he is or whatever he was doing means nothing to me. Right now, I just have to focus on getting the stones back and this shackle off of my arm while also being dragged around the continent by seven weirdos, each with their own agenda.

"Ugh," I groaned quietly as I shut my eyes and sleep began to take me. "This is gonna suck."


	4. Orlick's Last Stand

The next morning was fairly uneventful. The eight of us ate breakfast at the inn, most of the others chatting among themselves about their goals and destinations. I, meanwhile, was more focused on having at least eight contingency plans in case something went wrong during the heist of Orlick's mansion.

"Are you feeling alright, Therion?" Ophilia asked in a soothing voice, causing everyone to shift their eyes towards me. "Alfyn and I could take a look at you, if you like."

"I'm fine, just thinking," I answered bluntly.

"I could imagine. Being a dirty thief who steals from hard-working innocents must require much in the way of pondering," Olberic noted quietly, staring me down.

"Indeed," Cyrus nodded, eyeing me with a scrutinizing gaze. "I suppose there could be worse occupations, but…"

"You know, I don't need this," I scoffed, standing from my seat. "You guys are the ones that recruited  _me_. Quite forcefully, if I might add. If you don't want me around, just say so and cut me loose already!"

"Olberic! Cyrus," Tressa warned, glaring at the them. "You're being rude. Sure, Therion might not be a good guy, but… he can't be  _all_ bad, right?"

"Oh, that's rich comin' from you, Tress," Alfyn chuckled. "I mean, I don't hate the guy either, but he  _is_ a thief. You know, your mortal enemy?"

"Hey, I never said that!"

"Then why do you give him a pass?" Primrose inquired, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Because he's pretty?"

"N-no! It's just…"

"Look, I don't have time for this lunacy," I argued, clenching my fists tightly. "I have a stone to snatch. And for the record, it was  _stolen_ from its rightful owner who hired _me_ to get it back. Call it stealing if you want, I don't give a shit; the point is that I have a job to do. I'm not expecting any of you to help me; hell, I don't  _want_ any of you to help me. Just… just stay out of my way."

For a moment, no one said anything. Everyone gazed at each other silently, as if daring each other to break the silence. Hell, even the innkeeper looked a little nervous.

"... Well," I coughed. "I'll take everyone's uncharacteristic silence as acceptance. I'll be back with the stone later."

"You're darn right you will," Tressa agreed, standing up, "and you've got us all with you."

"I… what?"

"I must admit," Cyrus said, "I'm rather curious to see this stone up close. Surely it must be a stone unlike any other, and what better way to find out than by observing it myself?"

"What?" I asked again. "No, you can't come with - "

"Somebody has to be there to patch you up if something happens," Ophilia said with a gentle smile, rising. "It couldn't hurt, right?"

"I really don't think - "

"I refuse to take part in any thievery," Olberic declared sternly, "but should you find yourself in need of an extra blade to defend yourself from greater evils… you have my sword."

"And thou hath my bow," H'aanit affirmed as she stood with the others.

"And my axe!" Alfyn cheered, pumped up. Everyone stared at him oddly, and he rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Heh, always wanted to say that…"

"Unbelievable," I groaned, my face in my hand. "This is supposed to be a stealth mission! How do all six of you plan to - "

"Seven," Primrose added, smiling mischievously. "Eight counting you, of course."

"Okay… how do all  _seven_ of you plan to get involved in what is supposed to be a solo stealth mission?"

"Glad you asked, Theri," Tressa answered with a wink, pulling out a large sheet of paper from her bag and laying it on the table. "While you were sleeping, I drafted the perfect plan to get the ruby dragonstone back!"

I blinked twice in surprise before letting out a small, halfhearted laugh. "Alright, let's have it."

"First, you show up and tell the guards the password. Once they let you in, Olberic and Alfyn will sneak up, knock them out, borrow their armor, and take their place as the 'guards' of the manor."

"Gee, never heard that one before," I snorted. "What's the point of doing that if I'll already have slipped in?"

"So they don't get suspicious of your backup, of course!"

"... Backup?"

"Right!" Tressa beamed, standing proud. "See, the guards might not be suspicious of one or two people, right? But four to six? Not happening. Once Olberic and Alfyn are in position, the rest of us can sneak into the manor and split up. I'm thinking it's you, me, and Cyrus in one group while Ophilia, H'aanit, and Primrose are in the other group. That way we can cover more ground in a faster amount of time, you know?"

"... Well," I said at last, "you've certainly put some thought into this. It's touching to know that you care about me this much. Really, it is."

"Isn't it? It was all Tressa's idea too," Alfyn chimed in with a goofy smile. "You really shoulda seen her when she was planning this out, Fluffy. She looked so happy!"

"Alfyn!" Tressa whined, her face flushing as the rest of the travelers chuckled. "A-anyway, it's not even about you, Therion! I just want to make sure that client of yours gets their treasure back, that's all!"

"Right. It's certainly not like you like me or anything," I deadpanned. "Never heard that one before either. Who writes this garbage?"

"Anyway," Tressa continued, "from there, we can just grab the stone and get out before Orlick notices! Hehehe… Orlick…"

"I cannot believe that innocent little Tressa just planned a full-on heist. I'm  _so_ proud of you."

Primrose chuckled. "Delightfully devilish."

"It's not stealing if we take stolen goods from thieves and return them to their rightful owners," Tressa rationalized, a finger in the air.

"Wouldn't that just be classified as 'good stealing'?" Ophilia questioned, confused. "Not that I've ever really heard of any before today, but…"

"Professor, what do you think?" Primrose asked, turning to the black-haired scholar. "Is stealing from a thief still theft?"

"Funny you should ask, young Primrose," Cyrus addressed, taking on a typical "teacher" tone. "Why, this strikes me as more of a philosophical question than anything else as, while I do not condone stealing, it seems this particular incident would be one of noble intentions. Then again, I do quite wonder what the legal system would have to say about a thief whose stolen goods were ironically stolen from - "

"Nobody cares!" I shouted, trying to keep my mind on the dragonstones. "Look, I appreciate it, but I think I can handle this on my own."

"No," H'aanit argued, looking at me sternly. "No, you cannot. We are comen with you and that is final, young man."

"Yes, Mother," I replied sarcastically. "Ugh, this is insane... So when do we leave?"

"We should go get the key from Barham at sundown before heading to the manor," Tressa grinned, rubbing her hands together. "Ooh, this is so much fun! I just know that we're gonna make your client's day, Therion. I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

"... Her," I said quietly.

"Huh?"

"My client is a her, actually."

"..."

"Tressa?" H'aanit questioned. "Art thou feelen alright?"

Tressa clenched her fists and pouted, puffing up her reddened cheeks in a hilariously stupid manner as she glared into my soul. "Mrgrgr…!"

"Ohoho," Alfyn chortled. "Now you're in for it."

"What? What the hell did I say?"

"Nn… nothing," Tressa replied, taking a deep breath and turning back to normal. "It's nothing. Be sure to suit up before we head over there tonight, everyone!"

Before anyone could say anything, Tressa spun on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving the rest of us confused.

"... 'Murr-gurr-gurr'?" Cyrus asked aloud to no one in particular. "I must say, I've certainly never heard  _that_ before. Do you suppose it's native to Rippletide?"

"Who knows," I sighed, moving to walk out the front door. "I need a drink… or six."

* * *

"Barham!" I called from outside the miserable bastard's house, knocking on the door. "I need that key now!"

"..."

"Well, that's just fantastic," I groaned, kicking at the door. "Barham! Get up already!"

"It's no good," Ophilia sighed. "He must be out cold!"

"Olberic!" I called. "We need your expertise here."

"What do you want me to do, kick his door down?" Olberic challenged.

* * *

The front door flew off its hinges and onto the floor of the house as the four of us entered the place cautiously. Looking around, we could see that the place was an absolute mess; papers were scattered everywhere and things were haphazardly strewn about the main room. The lights were off, forcing Ophilia to channel a bit of light magic into her staff to illuminate the house.

"What in the Flame's name happened in here…?"

"This place is ransacked!" Tressa cried, searching around the house at random. "Where's Barham?"

I saw something gleam in the corner of my eye. Turning, I saw a shiny crystal key sitting on the counter, a piece of paper underneath it. Pocketing the key, I picked up the paper and read the words on it.

"'To whomever it may concern, the owner of the house has come to my mansion to tie up loose ends. Yes, the obviously creepy mansion at the end of town. If you ever wish to see him again and in one piece, you know what must be done … From Orlick'."

"How cowardly," Olberic spat, shaking his head in disgust. "Still… it strikes me as odd that he would  _want_ company, if he's truly as reclusive as they say."

"Poor Barham," Ophilia cried, her eyes wide with fear. "We… we have to save him!"

"I mean…  _do_ we?"

"Therion!"

"Relax, I'm teasing," I sighed, throwing my hands up in mock-surrender. "In any case, we might as well while we're there, right? Let's not waste any time."

"Right!" Tressa cheered before posing dramatically. "Onwards, Octolings! To the mansion!"

Before long, our party of four met up with the rest just on the outskirts of the mansion. The two guards stood unmoving from their post, probably not even having spotted us yet.

"Alright," I nodded to the others, "watch and learn."

I confidently made my way over to the guards and was predictably stopped.

"Halt! You're not allowed to be here."

"It's cool, you guys. Orlick sent me."

"Oh yeah? What for?"

"Does it really matter?" I argued. "He gave me the password after all. 'The truth of all things'. Now then, do you  _really_ want to be the ones who piss him off when he's having a good day?"

"Eep! N-no, sir!" one guard yelped.

"He almost never has  _those_ anymore!" the other quipped. "G-go right on ahead."

"Thank you," I smiled, making my way past them and to the front door. Looking back, I could see Tressa and the others giving me a thumbs-up. I quietly crept into the manor as their plan began to unfold. The halls were decidedly grandiose in nature; this Orlick guy had money, and he wasn't afraid to flaunt it. Surprisingly enough, there weren't any guards in the immediate area; must have put all of his stock into the two goons out front.

A couple of minutes had passed before Tressa and the others finally made it to the front door, Olberic and Alfyn standing guard outside as the latter waved at us happily.

"I cannot believe that actually worked," I noted as I held the door for the other five travelers.

"Oh, you worry too much!" Tressa beamed. "Now let's split up and get to the bottom of this mystery!"

"But… it's not a mystery."

"Therion, just let her do her thing," Primrose giggled, a hand over her mouth. "It'll be easier on all of us, really…"

"Alright, Professor!" Tressa chirped, practically bouncing with excitement. "You and Therion are coming with me to find the dragonstone. Ophilia, you and Primrose should go with H'aanit to find Barham."

"Any ideas of where to look?"

"No, so I guess we'd better head off in either direction and meet back here once the job is done," I said quietly. "And for gods' sakes, keep your voices down! This is supposed to be a stealth mission."

"You got it, dude!"

Not wasting any time, our groups split up and began to wander the halls aimlessly, looking for any sign of where the ruby dragonstone was being held. The halls were as tall as they were wide, and they seemed to go on forever.

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Tressa."

"Oh… How about now?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Cyrus responded eloquently, looking around and clutching a tome tightly. "This architecture is nothing if not impressive, however…"

A few more minutes of walking through the halls and up some stairs passed before we finally reached a clearing, a door of epic proportions standing before us.

"Woohoo! We made it!" Tressa cheered in an annoying tone. "And we didn't even have to fight any bad guys!"

"I don't like this," I muttered, looking around suspiciously. "There's no way that Orlick would only hire two guys…"

"A logical conclusion, Sir Thief," Cyrus noted quietly. "Best we tread with caution."

"Right."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the crystal key, the tool sparkling under the glow of the chandelure. Walking up to the door and spotting a keyhole, I took a deep breath before inserting the key and turning it to the right.

_KER-CHUNK!_

Cautiously, I opened the door just a crack and peered inside. The room was as big as it was empty; no guards, no scholars… nothing. Just a bunch of desks with papers strewn about the place. This was pretty big for a simple study room, but nothing in there caught my attention more than the shiny red rock resting on a golden rack.

"Bingo," I whispered, looking back at the other two and signalling them to come closer.

I pushed the door open as Tressa and Cyrus stood behind me with weapons held, looking around warily. I sauntered over to the ruby dragonstone and held out my hand towards it, feeling a great surge of power coming from it -

"Nwehehehe! That's far enough, young man!"

Damnit.

Sure enough, a portly man in fine clothes walked through the door, two guards with him.

"Come to steal my precious stone, have you?"

"It's  _not_ yours!" Tressa barked, clenching her fists and glaring at Orlick. "You hired some two-bit thieves like Therion to steal it for your research, didn't you?!"

I looked back at Tressa with an incredulous expression. " _Two-bit..._?"

"Now that I see it up close," Cyrus mused, "I can definitely see why a fellow scholar such as yourself would be intrigued by it. That being said, I simply cannot condone your behavior!"

"You!" Orlick shouted, pointing a finger at Cyrus. "... You're that Professor Albright from Atlasdam, aren't you? Got laid off after flirting with the Princess one too many times, did you? Nwehehe!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at our scholar. "When did this happen?"

"It didn't," Cyrus explained coolly, running a hand through his hair. "It was simply a rumor that got out of hand, I'll have you know."

"A rumor that spread like wildfire!" Orlick chortled. "To think that one as esteemed as you would lose your  _prestigious_ position over something as frivolous as another person! Why, just look at me! All I have is that stone, and it's all I need!"

"Hey," a guard spoke up, "what about us, boss?"

"SILENCE! I'm through talking," Orlick dismissed with a flippant hand wave. "Go beat them up so I can get back to my research."

"Oh, great. He's one of  _those_ bosses," I groaned. "You know, the cowardly ones where they just have other people do the fighting for them. Cheap flunky bastards."

"I'm not a coward! This is what we in the Video Game Boss community call a strategic victory!" Orlick protested vehemently. "Now, men! Show these ne'er do-wells what for! Nwehehehehehehehehe! And, for the record, that's one 'nwe' and eight 'he's."

"Good to know," I snarled, brandishing my daggers. "C'mon, let's do this!"

"I'm with you, Theri!" Tressa yelled, standing at my right with her spear in hand.

"As am I," Cyrus affirmed, standing at my left with a staff in one hand and a tome in the other. "Thief as you may be, we cannot let your client down! Come, my companions! To victory!"

Orlick merely sat back and watched as his two guards rushed towards us, swords in hand. I was the first to move, sprinting towards the first and darting out of the way of his attack. I used the small window of opportunity to slash at him with my daggers. As he recoiled in pain, Tressa ran up to him and struck him in the head with the blunt end of her spear, knocking him unconscious. The second guard was suitably angered and lunged at her, but I was able to intervene and nick his side. As he staggered backwards, Tressa called, "Now, Cyrus!"

Cyrus grinned and lifted his arms above him as a great ball of fire began to rage above him.

"Time to turn up the heat!" the scholar announced dramatically as he sent the fireball flying into the guard, sending him careening into a nearby pillar.

"Really? Fire puns?" I sighed.

"I also dabble in ice and lightning from time to time," Cyrus explained merrily, completely missing the point. "If you like, I could teach you how to better harness your magical energy once we're done here."

"Not overly fond of magic, but sure," I smirked as the three of us set our sights on the portly scholar before us. "Shouldn't be too long."

"Ack! I'm outnumbered!" Orlick cried in an exaggerated voice. "Whatever shall I do now?!"

I stared at him, thoroughly unimpressed. "Don't tell me. He's gonna summon more reinforcements."

"Yep," Tressa sighed, fixing her hat.

"Outnumbering us three to one?"

"Most likely," Cyrus nodded.

Sure enough, at least ten guards entered the room on either side of Orlick, the scholar cackling maniacally.

"... Bring it on."

Amazingly enough, fighting off multiple opponents at once was actually pretty difficult. If you weren't ducking at one moment, you were either slashing or stabbing. Or both. Cyrus had the foresight to put up a ring of fire around us, but that didn't stop some brave souls from forcing their way through anyway.

"Aiyeeeeh!" a guard screeched, sprinting through the flames and attacking me.

"The hell is their armor made of?" I yelled as I blocked his sword strike with my own.

"Well, judging by how their chainmail reacted to the flames, I believe - "

"Not now, Professor!" Tressa shouted over the chaos, using both hands to let loose a strong gust of wind that pushed several enemies backwards.

"Nwehehehe!" Orlick chortled obnoxiously. "Try all you might, but you are no match for the power of Orlick and his inhumanly-persistent bodyguards!"

For every five guards we cut down, ten more would appear. I panted and heaved as I wiped the sweat from my brow, Cyrus and Tressa doing the same. Was there really no end to this guy's number of minions…?

"Now, H'aanit!"

All of a sudden, a torrent of arrows rained down on the approaching enemies, felling them almost instantly. All of us turned to see H'aanit standing in the doorway, bow in hand. Linde ran ahead of her, mauling and slashing any guard that refused to surrender. As she did so, Primrose waltzed through the room and let off a powerful blast of dark magic, temporarily stunning Orlick.

"Repent, sinner!" Ophilia yelled as she appeared from behind Primrose and lifted her staff in the air. A ray of holy light came down on Orlick, causing him to cry out in pain.

" _No_! Not the holy light!  _It buuuuuurns_!"

"You three have excellent timing," I snarked. Not that I'd admit it to them, but I was actually kinda relieved that they had finally showed up. "What took you so long?"

"We were busy rescuing an old friend," Ophilia explained, gesturing behind her to a sheepish Barham.

"Friend? He made you rub his shoulders!" Tressa complained.

"Yeah, and you only met him like yesterday," I pointed out.

"Look," Barham began, stepping forward. "I realize that I was being a bit of a… oh, what's the word you kids use nowadays?"

"Meanie?" Tressa chirped.

"Jerk?" Primrose suggested.

"Asshole?"

"Therion," Ophilia warned, glaring at me.

"Yes, yes, all of those things!" Barham explained. "I did many a manner of unkindness, your friends' kindness in saving me has made me see the error of my ways. Let me handle Orlick. Please."

"Fine, whatever," I shrugged, turning towards where the ruby dragonstone sat. "Let me just pocket this before something stupid happens."

"Rrrgh… N-no!" Orlick growled, standing from his position with an arm in his robes. "Y-you can't… my life's work…"

"Orlick," Barham spoke softly, getting his old friend's attention. "It's me… don't you remember? It's me, Barham!"

"Bar...ham? Is that really you…?"

"Yes, old friend," the friendly scholar said, walking towards him. "It's me… that stone's really done a number on you, you know…"

"Heh… has it, now…?"

While the two of them were having a sappy moment, I turned my attention to the ruby dragonstone. Its crimson hue seemed all the more beautiful in the mansion's light, and it looked smooth to the touch. I carefully lifted the gem from its position and placed it in my bag.

"One down," I whispered, "two to go."

"H...huh?" Orlick asked, looking around and spotting me. Seeing the empty pedestal, he quickly put two and two together. "HUH?! You… you dastardly traitor, Barham! You were working with them, weren't you?!"

"N-no, Orlick, I swear!"

" _YOU TOOK THAT STONE FROM ME_!"

"Wha - ?!"

"Barham, look out!" Cyrus cried, reaching his hand towards his fellow scholar.

Suddenly, a ball of magic flew from Orlick's hand, hitting Barham square in the chest and knocking him a fair distance backwards. Ophilia was quick to help him to his feet as the rest of us glared at Orlick.

"Aren thou mad?" H'aanit demanded, her hand on her bow. "Barham is thine friend!"

"Friend…?  _Friend_?! What kind of  _friend_ would try to come between me and my research, huh? Answer that!"

"It's no good," I sighed, shaking my head. "I really don't think he'll listen to reason, Barham."

The older scholar turned to me with an astonished look. "Surely you're not suggesting we…?"

"... No," I responded. "Nobody has to die here. Orlick just needs to take a little nap for a bit."

"Like I'd really just let you waltz out of here with  _my_ stone!" Orlick challenged, standing his ground.

"It's  _not_ yours!" Tressa screamed, clenching her fists and practically fuming. "That stone is probably precious to whoever actually owns it, and we're gonna get it back to them even if we have to go right through you to do it!"

"What the hell are you waiting for then? Come on, I  _dare_ you!" Orlick bellowed before crouching and posing with his right hand in front of his face like an idiot. His body glowed with some sort of magical energy and within seconds, a full suit of armor with a lantern for a head had materialized before him, its head glowing purple with energy. "At long last, the time has come to let loose my ultimate creation! Go, my Golem, go!"

The beast said nothing, but brandished a dark axe menacingly as it stared us down. Quite a feat, considering its lack of eyes...

"Marvelous," Cyrus gasped, scrutinizing the monster warily. "An artificial being made of metal and magic…"

"Indeed, and it's not the first construct Orlick has created," Barham noted.

"Is this really the time for this?" I yelled at the odd duo, my gaze still focused on the golem as I gripped my sword with both hands.

"Well, pardon me! It's not every day that a portly scholar can summon a mighty being from out of thin air, now is it?" Cyrus quipped as he readied his tomes.

" _ENOUGH_!" Orlick cried, stamping his feet like an angry hog. "Golem, attack! Crush them! Obliterate them!  _GRIND THEM INTO PASTE_!"

"Prepare yourselves!" Cyrus shouted dramatically as his staff and tome glowed with fire magic. "Things are about to get  _heated_!"

"You used that joke already, Professor," Primrose deadpanned as the beast drew nearer.

"... Oh. Well, in that case, how about - "

"F-focus, Professor!" Tressa stammered, now using a bow and arrow. "Here it comes!"

The golem lunged at me with an overhead swing of its axe, but I deftly rolled to the left and slashed at it several times. My sword bounced off of its armor each time, an unsatisfying  _tink_ ringing throughout the room.

"Rrgh… No good!" I shouted, barely avoiding a second swing. "This thing is unbreakable!"

"Therion!" Cyrus called as he flung a fireball right into the golem's back, causing it to turn around and face him. "We'll keep it busy, go stop that madman Orlick!"

"Right!" I agreed before sprinting off in Orlick's direction, swapping my sword for my dagger.

"I shall assist thee!" H'aanit announced, Linde standing by her side. Before I could protest, the huntress had already began aiming her bow right at an unamused Orlick. She let loose arrow after arrow, Orlick deflecting most of them with a magical barrier of some sort.

"Flame guide us!" Ophilia cried as she pointed her staff towards Orlick menacingly. Barham merely cowered behind her, unable to make himself useful in the slightest. Ophilia's attack sent several rays of light down from the heavens and onto Orlick, causing him to howl in pain and piercing the barrier.

As the others blasted the golem with magical attacks, I sprinted towards the still-writhing Orlick who was standing a comfortable distance away. Seeing me caused him to panic even more, but he brandished his dagger regardless and took an odd fighting stance.

The fight was on.

I gotta say, Orlick was pretty light on his feet all things considered. The two of us clashed frequently, dagger versus dagger; for a scholar, there was quite a bit of power behind his blows. Maybe it had something to do with his magic…

"Nwehehe! You think yourself a match for me, thief?" Orlick sneered as he swiped at my chest, nicking me. "Even now, your friends are hardly a match for my beautiful creation!"

I glanced off to the side for a brief moment to see that, although they were keeping the golem at bay, it showed no real signs of stopping while Cyrus and Tressa looked physically drained. Primrose was doing her best to keep them refreshed, but even she couldn't dance for much longer. Ophilia had run over to them in order to heal them in the meanwhile, and H'aanit was still trying to get a few shots in on our formidable foe from afar.

"Rrgh… Hah!" I shouted, turning my attention back to Orlick and slashing at him several times. "You call yourself a scholar, huh? Well get a load of this!"

I reached out both hands in front of me and let out a yell, fire shooting from my hands. I never liked casting magic, but maybe this was the distraction I needed…

Predictably, Orlick blocked the flames with a hand, causing them to disperse on either side of him.

"You call that magic?!" Orlick guffawed, nearly doubling over. Once he composed himself, he lifted both arms above his head and began summoning magical energy. "Wait until you get a taste of my Magic Missle, you impudent child!"

"Magic," I muttered to myself, forming an idea in my head. "Magic! That's it!"

Turning to the huntress, I shouted, "H'aanit, now!"

She must have heard me because she took aim at the magical energy above Orlick's head. Her arrow looked like it was coated in… lightning?

"With lightning as my ally, let my arrow flyen true!"

I barely had any time to react as the lightning-infused projectile collided with what would have been Orlick's "Magic Missile", causing a huge explosion. I was knocked to the ground by the explosion, and H'aanit was quick to help me to my feet.

"You never told me you could shoot lightning!"

" _Thou_ never toldst me thou couldst create fire," the huntress replied coolly, turning her gaze to our other allies. Cyrus, Primrose, and Tressa had combined all of their magical attacks into one super blast that, in addition to Orlick's weakened state, had reduced the golem to ash.

"Nn… no! My… gack… my Golem! What have you done to my Golem?!" Barham demanded, now having fallen to one knee.

"Quickly," Barham said as everyone came together before Orlick. "Restrain him while he's broken!"

"Huh?" Tressa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll handleth things from here," H'aanit announced as she pulled some sort of big net from out of nowhere. Not wasting any time, the huntress threw it on top of the incapacitated Orlick. The scholar writhed and struggled, but he only found himself becoming more and more entangled in the web-like net.

"Better than a snare," H'aanit chuckled, admiring her handiwork.

"You know, you really could have just done that from the beginnng," Primrose shrugged. "Still, I like it. It looks rather fetching on him, actually…"

"Nngh… let me out… I'll… get you for this…"

Mentally and physically exhausted from the battle, Orlick finally gave in and collapsed unconscious. Barham sighed and walked over to him, kneeling at his fallen friend.

"He wasn't always like this, you know. Once he received the dragonstone, he… he changed. So much…"

"Yeah, sure, bore us some more while you're at it," I snarked, rolling my eyes. "Not like we have anything better to do."

Ophilia sighed in relief, a hand over her heart. "Well, at least that's over and done with. Is anybody hurt?"

"Not I."

"Nope!"

"Nay."

"No."

"I'm alright," I said in agreement before feeling a sharp pain in my chest. As the others looked at me with concerned eyes, my hand went straight to my chest and came back coated in a familiar crimson color.

_Damn… I can't believe he got me that badly. I must be getting sloppy, heh…_

Suddenly, everything felt… heavier. I felt my back hit the floor of the manor, everyone beginning to panic. I could definitely tell they were screaming by their faces, but I couldn't quite hear them. Regardless, I clutched the bag holding the dragonstone tightly as if my life depended on it. Kinda ironic, given the current situation...

"... I'm gonna need more than a few drinks this time…"

* * *

When I finally came to, I was in a bed back at the inn. I could see Ophilia and Alfyn standing over me, ever the team healers. Both of them seemed to have been talking about something before noticing I was awake, greeting me with friendly smiles.

"Good morning, Therion," Ophilia greeted quietly with a smile on her delicate face. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty," I groaned, placing a hand to my bandaged chest lightly and then recoiling. "Chest hurts… damnit."

"I don't blame ya, buddy," Alfyn replied with a shrug. "You took a pretty nasty cut. That wound was massive! Not helping was that you already had a scar in that location..."

"Huh?" I questioned groggily before it finally hit me. My chest scar… the one I got  _before_ the battle with Orlick… that was when…!

"Therion… are you okay? You look a bit… pale," Ophilia noted. "And… angry."

"Rrghh," I growled, shutting my eyes. "Forget it. It's nothing."

"But…"

"Phili," Alfyn crooned, "it's alright. I'm sure he'll open up when the time is right."

"Hmm…"

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Besides Tressa, everyone else is doing their own thing around Noblecourt one last time before we head out tomorrow," Ophilia explained, wringing her hands. "Don't worry, we'll be able to help you keep up with us."

"I'll be fine," I coughed, looking around. "Hey, where's my bag?"

"Here," Alfyn chimed in, grabbing it from a nearby dresser and placing it in my lap softly. "Quite the rock you've got there. Was that what you were after, Fluffy?"

" _Therion_ ," I snarled, "and that's none of your concern."

"Ouch, okay. This is the thanks I get for stitching you back up?"

"Tch… sorry."

"Nah, don't worry about it," the apothecary laughed, shaking his head. "Phili and I are just glad you're alright. You should have seen how concerned she was when I finally got to you!"

"I… that's," Ophilia mumbled, looking away shyly with pink cheeks. "Um…"

"Heh," I chuckled softly. "And where, pray tell, is our esteemed leader in all of this?"

Alfyn merely gestured to my right, where Tressa was snoozing about two beds away, utterly exhausted by the look of it.

"Relax, she's fine. She just got a little overexerted when using her magic, that's all. A few plums and a day of rest and she'll be all good to go!"

"Hmph… Well, at least we're all still in one piece."

"Yup!" Alfyn agreed before suddenly putting his hands on me.

"Ouch, what the - ?!"

"Easy, buddy; I'm just gonna give you some salve and replace your bandages, that's all," he explained gently, giving me an earnest smile.

"Give a guy some warning next time at least! Ow…"

"Sorry! Sorry, heh… You gonna help me out this time, Phili? I know you got a bit flustered the first time 'round."

"H-huh?! Oh, no! No, I think you can handle it," Ophilia frantically stammered, waving her hands. "I'll, uh, tend to Tressa's wounds over here…"

"But I thought you guys said she wasn't really injured…"

" _T-to her wounds_!"

I could only chuckle as the blonde cleric swiftly made her way over to Tressa's bed. As Alfyn got to work on my bandages, I held my bag and rubbed my fingers over the dragonstone within. It would definitely take me a couple of days to get back to Bolderfall, but just a few more minutes and I could get a head start -

"Ouch!"

"Don't squirm so much, Therion! You'll rupture the wound!"

"This stuff stings! What the hell is in this anyway?" I demanded.

"Apothecary's secret," he winked.

"Well, that makes me feel comfortable. How soon am I gonna be able to get out of here?"

"Definitely not today," Alfyn responded earnestly, shaking his head. "You're lucky it was only a cut and not a full-on stab, but you should definitely stay put for the time being."

"But…"

"Look," he sighed, "I know you're in a hurry to escape from us or whatever, but… Can't you stay at least a little longer? If not for any of us, for Tressa."

"... I wasn't planning on escaping," I explained with shut eyes. "But that stone needs to get back to its proper owner, and I'm the only one who can get it there."

"We could send one of us out there to - "

"Okay, let me rephrase that. I'm the only one I  _trust_ to get it back there."

"Alright, fair enough," Ophilia relented, walking over after making sure Tressa was still okay. "So when do we depart?"

"What? No! You're not coming with me!"

"Where one of us goes," Alfyn started.

"The other six follow," Ophilia finished with a smile. "Well, seven now."

"But…  _why_?"

"Cause we're a team, and you're part of us now!" Alfyn beamed.

"That's a stupid reason!"

"You may be a thief," Alfyn began, "but at least you're not a murderer or anything like that. And if  _Tressa_ of all people could find a reason to recruit you, I think the least we can do is give you a proper welcoming."

"But I don't want a… forget it," I sighed, resigning myself to my fate of traveling Orsterra with seven weirdos. "I guess we can leave for Bolderfall as soon as this cut heals up a little."

"Wonderful!" Ophilia cheered, clasping her hands together with an adorable smile. "I don't think we really spent much time in Bolderfall when we were on our way to Clearbrook! I'll go rally everyone else and let them know!"

"Wait, Ophilia!"

"Aaand there she goes," Alfyn muttered, watching the cleric sprint out of the room excitedly. "She's a real beaut, huh?"

"Tch…"

"C'mon, it's just us guys here! You can tell ol' Alfie anything," he winked.

"Suddenly, I'm not feeling too well anymore…"

"Need more healing balm?"

" _No!_ "


	5. Back to Bolderfall

Once Alfyn had finally finished applying more of his shitty healing balm and left, I laid back in bed and closed my eyes. The fight with Orlick had definitely taken a lot more out of me than I thought; maybe a day of rest wouldn't hurt after all. Just me and the beautiful silence of the room. I could actually get used to this -

"Heeeey, Therion!"

"Ugh… so loud," I moaned, covering my head with a pillow.

"Geez, sor- _ry_!" Tressa complained. "Someone had to come in and check on you, ya big grump."

" _Two_ someones came in to check on me, and they did so  _quietly_."

"You're no fun…"

"How did you even become the leader of this gang of misfits in the first place?" I asked, looking up at the short girl standing above me.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tressa asked with a confused frown, her brow furrowing.

"I mean, you're so young… and small. And annoying. Who in their right mind would follow you anywhere?"

This earned me a fist to the shoulder. Who knew Tressa's little noodle arms could pack such a punch?

"Hitting an injured follower," I chuckled, rubbing my sure-to-bruise-later shoulder. "Yup. Totally leader material. I'm surprised you're not the High Queen of Orsterra by now."

"Whatever," she huffed like a child, turning away and folding her arms. "I'll have you know that I was the one who brought everyone together!"

"Okay, I'll bite.  _How_?"

Tressa sat on the edge of my bed with a nostalgic smile and stars in her eyes. "I remember it like it was only a few weeks ago…"

"Knowing you, it probably  _was_ a few weeks ago - "

"Shh," Tressa commanded, pressing a finger to my lips. "I'm the storyteller right now, okay?"

I stayed silent, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Great! So, after valiantly saving my hometown of Rippletide from some dirty pirates," she announced, "I decided to venture south in order to seek out my calling as a merchant!"

"Yawn…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Please, continue, Your Excellency."

Ignoring the blatant sarcasm in my voice, she went on.

"So I found my way to this quiet little mountain town called Cobbleston, right?"

"Sounds familiar," I nodded. "... Go on."

"And it was there I met Olberic Eisenberg, the Unbending Blade!" Tressa exclaimed excitedly, striking a pose. "... Whatever that means."

"Eisenberg, huh…"

"Yeah! Turns out, he was living there for the time being when this little kid got kidnapped for ransom by bandits! So guess what he did?"

"He stormed their place - "

"He  _stormed_  their place! And I was with him every step of the way," Tressa bragged, beaming brilliantly. "They were no match for his blade and my awesome wind magic!"

"Where'd you learn that, anyway? I thought only eggheads like Cyrus cared enough to study magic," I said.

"Professor Albright says that everyone has elemental potential, but not everyone taps into it or fully realizes their power," Tressa explained with a mesmerized expression. "Heck, some people like me can only use one type of magic in battle!"

"Riveting," I noted dryly, looking down at my own hands. Growing up on the streets meant adapting to protect yourself by any means necessary; I don't know how I got lumped together with fire of all things, but it definitely chased more than a few petty crooks and assailants away in my time.

"I heard you let loose a pretty nice spell too, you know," Tressa said with a wink. "Who would have guessed that you'd be so studious, Therion?"

"I didn't study. I  _practiced_."

"But is studying not simply putting what you've learned  _into_ practice?"

The two of us turned to see the egghead himself standing in the doorway with a bright smile on his face, his eyes equally shiny.

"Oh, hi, Professor! We were just talking about you."

"Actually, we were talking about how Tressa got everyone together," I explained, "and then the little brat got us sidetracked with talk of magic."

"Um, excuse you? I am  _not_ a brat!" Tressa barked, clenching her fists. Turning to Cyrus, she added, "See what I get for being a good and concerned leader, Professor?"

"Perhaps Therion merely needs more rest, young Tressa," Cyrus sighed, giving me a knowing smile. "Orlick did quite a number on your chest, young man. It's quite fortunate for all of us that we have not one, but  _two_ skilled healers."

"Heh… yeah," I coughed, turning my head to the side. "They did good."

"They did  _well_ , Therion."

"Did you come here for an actual legitimate reason, or just to give me a pointless lecture on grammar?"

"Well, I see no reason why the two have to be mutually exclusive…"

"A lecture?" Tressa repeated, looking very nervous as she eyed the exit. "E-er, well... I think I'll just be doing… leader stuff now. Bye!"

"Now hold a moment, Tressa. I've actually come to plan out our itinerary for the next week or so," Cyrus explained, holding a map. "Naturally, all eight of us have our own goals to work towards, but we need some sort of central organization, do we not?"

"Makes sense," Tressa sighed. "So, where to first?"

"Per request of our injured friend here, I think it most prudent to return to Bolderfall to return the ruby dragonstone to its proper owner. Quarrycrest - where you and I both have things to attend to - is the closest town we'd need to visit next and is only a day or so away from there on foot."

"Wonderful!" Tressa cheered, stars in her eyes. "I can't wait to set up shop there! Whoever used to own my journal wrote all sorts of nice things about the place!"

"Yeah, can't imagine anything more interesting than a bunch of rocks and sweaty guys."

"Not  _just_ rocks and sweaty men, my boy," Cyrus rebutted, finger in the air for dramatic effect. " _Ore_. Jewels. Gold!  _Knowledge_! Who knows what untold riches and undiscovered mysteries are lying in that quarry town, just waiting to be recorded?"

"Whatever you say," I snorted, turning over in bed. My chest wound still hurt, causing me to suck in my breath, but I don't think the other two idiots heard over the sound of their excited chattering. Just as well; I never liked being the center of attention anyway.

"How are you feeling, Therion?"

"We should leave for Bolderfall tomorrow morning," I stated flatly, ignoring Tressa's question.

"But - "

"I'll be fine; it's not like my leg was injured, after all."

"Well… if you say so," the merchant girl sighed, turning to leave with Cyrus close behind her. "We'd better go tell everyone, Professor."

"Right you are, my bright pupil!"

As the two finally took their leave, I closed my eyes and began mentally preparing myself for the journey. Flying solo was one thing, but two is company, three is a crowd, and eight is just pushing it at that point. Plus a giant cat. There was just no telling what sort of bullshit misadventures Tressa and the gang would drag me into…

"Um, Therion?"

"Gods, what now?" I snapped before opening my eyes to see Ophilia standing there, wringing her hands nervously. "... Oh, it's you."

"Well. That's a fine way to greet a friend," she said quietly, though with the faintest edge to her voice.

"We've spoken like once or twice. That doesn't make us friends," I huffed, turning over in bed so that I was facing away from her. "What do you want? I didn't even hear you come in."

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay," Ophilia said gently, taking a seat at the edge of the bed as Tressa had done before. "You gave us all quite the scare, you know? Even H'aanit had never seen such a gash…"

"Yeah, well, I'm still here, aren't I?" I brushed her off.

"That's not the point!" Ophilia protested aggressively, staring me down with her golden eyes. "What if Alfyn and I weren't skilled enough to patch you up, huh? What then?"

"Look," I said as I met her gaze, "I appreciate your handiwork, really, but I've got this whole adventuring thing in the bag. And in the case of the ruby dragonstone, I mean that quite literally. So quit worrying already."

"No. I simply cannot," she refused, shaking her head. "Not when a reckless ally puts himself in danger!"

"Hey, I knew what I was doing!" I argued. "So what if that mage turned out to be handy with a knife?"

"Therion..."

"Tch..."

It was then that we found ourselves at a standstill. Ophilia was clearly adamant about saving  _all_ of her companions, even a dirty thief like me. But...  _why_? Doesn't she get that some people just aren't worth saving? Or did her church somehow delude her into thinking that  _every_ life has value?

Ophilia eyed the small bag on my nightstand before clearing her throat. "... That gem... Was it really worth almost dying over?"

"Yes," I sighed. "The sooner I get all three Macguffins back, the sooner I can get this blasted bangle off of my wrist. Did you forget about that night on the roof?"

"Truthfully," she coughed, her face flushing lightly, "I was hoping that  _you_ wouldn't forget..."

"Thieves rarely miss important details, and you're looking at the best of them."

"Hee hee... is that so? You're awfully brazen to say such a thing with pride."

"Yeah, well," I shrugged. "Fortune favors the proud... or something like that, anyway."

"Ha... You know, I got a glimpse of the stone on the way here," Ophilia mumbled, looking away from me. "It's quite a pretty sight."

"Sure is," I nodded. I started smirking as I got an idea in my head. "Although I'll never really understand why people like Orlick keep them propped up on pedestals. Such a lovely stone belongs on such a lovely lady, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, I certainly... wait,  _what_?!" Ophilia exclaimed, looking back at me with wide eyes. "What did you just...?"

"Heh... worth it."

"Sh-shame on you! Teasing a holy woman in such a way," the cleric pouted. "Honestly, Therion."

"Well, Darius always said I had good taste."

"Who?"

I froze as I immediately realized what I had just said. Suddenly, all the memories came flashing back all at once and I felt myself growing more thirsty for alcohol by the second.

"Therion, who is Darius?"

"... He's nobody," I lied, moving to get up from the bed. "Forget it. I need some fresh air... and a drink."

"W-wait!" Ophilia cried, rising to her feet and rushing over to my side. "You can't get up just yet! You still need to give the medicine more time to heal!"

"Couldn't you have just insta-healed me with your holy magic? Besides, it's my  _chest_ that's hurt, not my leg. I'll be fine."

"The healing process is hardly instantaneous, especially with such a harsh wound… and even so, what sort of healer would I be to let you get up in such a state?"

"Really, I'm fine," I argued. "Now get out of my way."

"No! You need bed rest!"

"Ophilia, I swear - "

"Therion, no," she demanded, putting her hands on my shoulders firmly. "What if you get hurt again?"

"H-hey!" I yelled, struggling against her grasp. She had no idea just how hard those words rang true in my head. "Let go of me!"

"I would if you would just lie back down- Eep!"

The blonde cleric was way stronger than she had any right to be, and it was her power mixed with my fatigue that pinned me back down on the bed. Her landing on top of me so that her head was pressed against my upper chest was an unfortunate side effect of this. I winced slightly in pain as Ophilia took a moment to realize what had just happened, blinking in surprise before blushing furiously.

"I… um…"

"Whew," Alfyn sighed, smirking as he stood in the doorway with everyone else stood behind him with similar expressions. "Too bad cameras don't exist in this world, huh?"

"EEEEEEEK!"

"Oh, damn it all..."

* * *

"So," Primrose started as we reached the outskirts of Bolderfall. "How long has  _that_ been going on?"

"Shut up, Primrose."

"What? There's no shame in it, after all. I must admit, though, I certainly wasn't expecting our saintly little cleric to be so - "

"N-nothing happened!" Ophilia squeaked, her face still beet-red. Maybe it was just the heat; we  _had_ spent the whole day on the open road after all, and the night sky was still doing little to cool us all off. "It was an accident, that's all!"

"Right," Olberic rumbled, looking ahead as he carried an unusually grumpy Tressa on his shoulders like a child. "You  _accidentally_ fell onto the thief in the most compromising position possible."

"This is so ridiculous," I grumbled, walking ahead. "I think I'd rather soak myself in Alfyn's godsawful healing balm than listen to this garbage."

"Aww, you mean it? Thanks, pal."

"No. Just… no."

" _Hmph_ ," Tressa pouted, folding her arms as we finally reached the stony gate of Bolderfall. "We're here. Go team or whatever."

"What doth trouble thou, Tressa?" H'aanit asked in her soothing voice, helping the girl down from Olberic's mighty ox-like shoulders like a mother might do to her child. "Tis not normal to see thou in such a state."

"Rawr!"

"Haha! Even Linde can tell," Alfyn chuckled. "Seriously, though, what's up? Got cramps? Cause I'm pretty sure I've got a tonic for that."

Tressa's eyes darted angrily between myself and Ophilia for a moment before settling on the city ahead, her face slowly returning to its usual peppy self. "... It's nothing. C'mon, team! Let's go return that stone and then make our way to Quarrycrest!"

"It's an easy drop off," I shrugged, walking forward. "You guys go on ahead. I'll see you there in a few days."

"I think not, mister!" Tressa protested, staring me down. "How can we trust you to not steal hearts if we're not there to supervise you?"

Everyone turned to look at her with confused looks as I raised my eyebrow.

"... Hearts?"

"Huh?"

"You said that you don't trust me to not 'steal hearts', whatever the hell that means."

"Aah! N-no! What I meant to say was - "

"Don't care. Follow me if you want, but there's nothing to see here," I interrupted bluntly, clutching the bag carrying the dragonstone tightly. I would only be passing through the middle-class area of town, but you could never be too careful.

"Mrg… make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, H'aanit," Tressa commanded, glaring in my direction. I couldn't see her with my back turned, but I could just  _feel_ her eyes burning into the back of my skull.

"Understoode."

"Great! The rest of us will be right here then."

As the other six stood at the outskirts of town, H'aanit and I made our way through the moonlit streets of Bolderfall. For better or for worse, nothing here had really changed in the weeks since I'd left. You still had the squalor-filled slums south of the city entrance, and the middle-class area was relatively quiet and clean by comparison.

Once you got to House Ravus though… hoo, boy. Guards in armor every step you took, backed by their trained hounds. It didn't surprise me that a few were nodding off at this time of night; hell, maybe Cordelia was asleep and us being here right now was a bad idea.

"Dare I asken what thou hast done?" H'aanit whispered in a stern tone, walking close to me as several guards eyed me. A guard dog growled and barked at me before being promptly snarled at by Linde, causing the pooch to back down with a whimper.

"Me? I haven't done anything wrong," I smirked, walking to the front gate where two guards stood. "I'm here to see the lady of the house."

"Oh, I think not! You're the one that snuck in here after pretending to be a merchant, aren't ya?" a guard interrogated, clutching his spear tightly.

"... No," I lied.

"... Oh. Well, in that case, come on in!"

"No, no, he still looks suspicious to me!" the other guard protested. "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime, and for you to show up at night of all times? How stupid can you be?! Get lost, you scraggly roguish fellow! And take your wife and cat with you!"

"Wife…?" H'aanit repeated, eyeing the man strangely. "I was unaware of this development..."

"Okay, we are  _not_ married. In fact, the only band anywhere on my body is this one," I growled, showing my wrist to them. "Which I'm here to remove, by the way. Now do me a favor and get the hell out of my way already, would you? I didn't almost die just so I could be slowed down by two generics."

"Why, you snot-nosed little…!"

"Enough!" a voice called, causing the guards to turn around and H'aanit and I to look past them.

Sure enough, Cordelia Ravus stood with Heathcote close behind, the former wearing a relieved expression as her butler raised an eyebrow. The blonde royal smiled as we made eye contact, and I instantly darted my eyes away out of instinct.

"Mr. Therion, you made it!"

"Actually, I died on the way here. What you're seeing now is my ghost. Boo."

"A most curious phenomenon," H'aanit said in awe, her eyebrows raising. "Professor Albright shall be most pleased to hearen of this discovery."

"No, I was being… Forget it," I sighed, turning back to the blonde. Handing over the red stone to Cordelia, I continued, "Here, take it. I never want to see it ever again."

"You really found it!" Cordelia cried gleefully, graciously accepting the stone. "Thank you so much, Mr. Therion… Was it difficult for you?"

"Nope. Breaking into heavily guarded mansions and getting into scuffles is just another Tuesday for me, really," I bragged, smirking at the guards who were still angered but could do nothing in the presence of their employer.

"He is simply fulfilling his part of the bargain, milady," Heathcote claimed in his funny accent, momentarily taking the ruby dragonstone and polishing it before putting it in a small case. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Even so, Heathcote… perhaps it's time we let him off the hook," Cordelia replied softly, gazing at me.

"Huh?"

"I think not, milady," Heathcote rebutted, suddenly grabbing my shackled wrist and examining it closely.

"H-hey, let go!"

"There is no guarantee that he would fulfill his end of the bargain and recover the last two stones were we to cut him loose now," the butler explained, pausing for a moment before letting go of me.

"But - "

"No, I agree," I said to everyone's surprise. "I… I can't be trusted at face value. Nobody can."

"Mr. Therion, that's not…"

"Look, I don't need your pity and I certainly don't need any free handouts," I protested, folding my arms and looking away. "Trust is an illusion. If you hand somebody a knife and turn away from them for even a moment, they'll stab you in the back in a heartbeat. It's better this way; you know for sure that I'll be back with those stones with this stupid bracelet still on me."

"But… alright then," Cordelia sighed, looking up at me wistfully. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I cursed myself internally. Why did I have to go and say something stupid like  _that_? I mean, maybe it was still true, but…

"The emerald dragonstone, known for its shiny green hue, is rumored to be somewhere in the southern sands of Marsalim," Heathcote explained, getting everyone's attention. "Probably being pawned off to some scoundrel on the black market, no doubt. You'd do well to move quickly."

"Is there an actual time limit on this mission?"

"..."

"I thought not," I sighed, shaking my head. "Whatever. I'll be back with the green stone whenever, I guess."

"Um," Cordelia spoke up slightly, my ears pricking up at her voice. "Must you really go so soon? I'm sure you're quite exhausted, and… er, who is this?"

"I am H'aanit, one of Sir Thi… Therion's acquaintances," the huntress spoke coolly, extending a friendly hand forward as Linde imitated the gesture with her paw. "Nice to meeten thou."

"The pleasure is all mine," Cordelia said with a smile as she shook hands with her, though her eyes seemed anything but happy. "Perhaps you two… er, three, would care to spend the night here? You both seem rather exhausted…"

"Well, actually - "

"Heeey, you guys!" an obnoxiously cheery voice rang out from behind us. "What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to see Tressa smirking as the rest of our companions gazed in our direction sheepishly, as if trying to apologize for Tressa's… Tressitude.

"Oh, gods just take me now," I groaned, a hand to my forehead. "What is it, O Esteemed Leader? We were just leaving."

"Oh, nothing," Tressa giggled mischievously, sending a chill down my spine. "Just thought I'd step in and say hi to your little  _client_."

"And just what is  _that_ supposed to mean, Little Miss Merchant?"

"Mr. Therion, do you know these people?"

"Sadly, I do," I snarked. "Looks like you're not the only one who dabbles in the art of blackmail,  _milady_."

"Mr. Therion, I…"

Before anyone could say anything else, Tressa walked up to Cordelia and gave her a once-over, scrutinizing her as if looking for stray threads or something equally small and pointless.

"Hmph," Tressa sighed, folding her arms and looking away from everyone. "Yeah, she's cute I guess…"

"H-huh?!" Cordelia blurted, her face turning pink.

"This is just not my day," I sighed exasperatedly, turning to walk away. "You know what? Forget it. Marsalim. Emerald dragonstone. Got it. I'll be back whenever it's convenient."

"Whaaa? You can't just cut this scene short like that, Therion!" Tressa whined, stomping in place like a child. "What's Ophilia gonna say when she finds out you're cheating on her?"

"I… you… we're not… argh! Nothing happened! I am  _not_ cheating on anybody!" I yelled, clenching my fists. Turning, I could see that nearly everyone was smirking with the exception of Ophilia and Cordelia, who shared uneasy glances with each other, and H'aanit who looked just as confused as the guards.

"Awk- _waaaard_ ," one of the guards uttered.

"Yeah, no kidding," the other agreed. "You guys must be so embarrassed right about now. Like, really,  _really_ embarrassed."

"I hate all of you."

* * *

The walk to Quarrycrest was pretty quiet, all things considered. Though Alfyn and Tressa would crack the occasional joke every now and then, nobody was really in a talkative mood, least of all me. I was still seething deep down about what had happened in Bolderfall. Why did Tressa have to be such a bratty little kid? And now, to make matters worse, I still had to join her on her stupid merchant's quest or whatever.  _Great_.

"We're finally here!" Tressa announced as the eight of us walked into Quarrycrest, taking in the rocky sights and the cool night air. Pausing to take a deep breath, she continued, "Do you smell that, you guys? That's the smell of business!"

"Gee, business sure stinks," I muttered. "Where's the nearest tavern? I already need to drink the memory of this place away."

"I sure wouldn't mind a drink myself right about now," Primrose agreed wearily, leaning against me slightly before straightening herself out.

"Same," Alfyn sighed.

"What? But we've only just arrived," Cyrus protested. "Surely it's not too late for us to do a bit of exploring around town? Perhaps I might even find Odette tonight…"

"Got a date, Professor?" Primrose chuckled. "And so late at night, too? How scandalous..."

"What? No," Cyrus shook his head rapidly. "She is simply an old colleague of mine. We used to work together solving mysteries and the like in Atlasdam."

"Riveting," I snorted. "Can I go now?"

"Therion may have a point," Ophilia chimed in. "It  _is_ already dark out, and his wound is likely in need of reexamining…"

"Aww… okay," Tressa sighed depressingly, looking ahead to find the nearest inn. "Guess we'll have to hold off on the exploration until tomorrow, Professor…"

"Very well," Cyrus relented. "Chin up, my dear! The sun will come out tomorrow, and so you must hang on until tomorrow."

"Right… let's just go…"

The eight of us began walking further into the city before Olberic suddenly stopped. As Alfyn, H'aanit, and Primrose were behind him, each of them also ended up being stopped in their tracks.

"Ouch… you okay, big guy?" Primrose asked, clearly concerned.

Olberic looked around a couple times suspiciously before returning his gaze to his comrades. "... It is nothing. My apologies. I thought we were being followed, but I appear to be wrong."

I rolled my eyes, walking ahead with the others as Tressa finally located an inn, haggling the owner for a lower price. "Whatever you say, chief."

Despite my comment, I too could feel eyes on my back, but I could find none when I looked behind me. Maybe the exhaustion was finally setting in…

With any luck, maybe I could get enough sleep to get me through whatever hellish things awaited tomorrow.


	6. Quarrelsome Quarrycrest

The next morning was nothing special really. Thanks to Ophilia's healing magic and Alfyn's expertise, my cut was almost completely healed up; there'd still be another scar to add to the collection, of course, but at least I wasn't in a huge amount of pain like yesterday. Hell, I didn't even really need bandages anymore.

Currently, seven of us were eating breakfast in Quarrycrest's tavern in relative silence. Fair enough; just getting here took a lot out of us all.

"Good morning, everyone!" Tressa greeted chipperly as she walked through the front door and plopped down at our table with the adults.

"What's so good about it?" I sniped, still exhausted from the previous day.

"Well, we're not six feet under, we have a roof over our heads, and we're in relatively good company," Primrose pointed out, giving everyone a pleasant smile. "I've definitely been in worse situations…"

"How are you holding up, my dear?" Cyrus asked with a friendly smile. "It hasn't been that long since our skirmish in the sands with that repulsive human being. I can hardly imagine what you're going through right now…"

"I'm fine, Cyrus." Primrose shook her head with a small smile, though her eyes weren't fooling anyone. I knew very little about Primrose at the moment, mostly because she wasn't overly talkative like some of the others, but something gave me the impression that I wasn't the only one here with scars. "Really…"

"Are you positive, Primrose? Because - "

"Professor, please," Alfyn chided gently, a hand on his older friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she doesn't wanna talk about it right now, so we should probably just change the subject."

"Ah… right you are, chap. My apologies, Primrose."

"Worry not, Professor," the dancer giggled, a hand over her mouth. "It's sweet that you care."

"Ah… um…"

"Geez, is he always this bad with women?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, not everyone can be as experienced as  _you_ , Therion," Tressa shot back peevishly, giving me some serious stink-eye.

"I hate you so much for making things in Bolderfall as awkward as you did. Nothing even happened between us, alright?"

Ophilia merely shifted in her seat uncomfortably, desperately trying to think of something to say in her defense. We briefly made eye contact before she looked away with red cheeks, pretending to have spotted something interesting on the other side of the tavern.

"In any case, what's the plan for today, Tressa?" Olberic asked, having finished his breakfast earlier than everyone else. "I take it you and Professor Albright have business to attend to on this fine day?"

"Right we do, my knightly friend," Cyrus agreed wholeheartedly. "Why, in a few moments, I'm going to go see my old colleague, Odette - "

Tressa shook her head with a giggle. "Sorry, Professor. I'm afraid I'm gonna need your help today." Standing from her seat, she continued, "In fact, I'm gonna need all of you guys!"

"Oh, come on," I moaned. "How much work can one little merchant brat possibly have?"

"Something tellen me we're about to findeth out," H'aanit muttered, face in hand as Linde whimpered quietly.

* * *

The rest of the morning consisted of the gang helping Tressa carry three moderately-sized sacks from the mining part of town all the way back to the square, the harsh sun beating down on us all. Only Tressa could make a three-man job take seven people. And what was in those sacks that was so important that it required said seven people to move them?

Rocks. Not gold, not rare ore, not even a gem or two.  _Rocks_.

"Oh, chin up, you big baby," Tressa said, giggling as she skipped ahead of us. "A little physical exercise every now and again is good for you!"

"Easy for you to say," Primrose huffed as she and I continued to haul a bag down the road, getting some funny looks from passing strangers. "Why don't you help out, Tressa? And for that matter, where did you even find all of these rocks? I thought you were looking for gold."

"And while we're griping," I added, "what made you think that spending  _all_ of our money on these damn things was a good idea? Who in their right mind would even do that? What were you  _thinking_?!"

"Will you just calm down? I'm helping you guys by getting us all rich!" she cheered excitedly.

"By selling… rocks?" Alfyn puffed as we finally regrouped, the last of the sacks finally delivered to the square. He was a little burly, sure, but I could tell that having to haul rocks from one side of town to the other had worn him down considerably.

"Not just any rocks, my boy," she said, opening a sack and taking out a stone. Said stone was particularly ordinary, looking as gray and pointless as any other. Tressa immediately took out a bottle of some funny-smelling liquid and started dripping it onto the stone.

Naturally, everyone immediately recoiled and covered their noses upon getting a whiff.

"Egads!" Cyrus cried, arm over his nose and tears in his eyes. "That's absolutely repulsive!"

"This doth smellen like Linde's droppings…"

"Oh, oh gods," I choked, several thoughts racing through my head and none of them particularly family-friendly. "I can't believe this is how I go out… Killed by a child..."

"You guys complain too much!" Tressa chided, not even caring that the rock in her hand smelled worse than death itself. Pulling out a handkerchief and polishing the rock, she went on. "Besides, this is the best part! Just a little elbow grease and…  _voila_ _!_ "

The little merchant stood proud as the stone in her hand sparkled a radiant green, a far cry from its original hue. The rock, almost perfectly round, now looked smooth to the touch and wowed almost everyone with the exception of myself; I had seen better treasures in my time, after all.

"See? Isn't it pretty? They're called skystones," Tressa remarked with a cheeky grin, beaming almost as bright as the sun. "These babies are gonna sell like hotcakes!"

"That's wonderful, Tressa!" Ophilia cheered with an equally bright smile, eyes wide with wonder. "To think that something so unassuming at first glance would turn out to be so remarkable!"

"I simply must study that polisher in my spare time," Cyrus noted with great interest. "Stinky as it may be, its chemical properties must be unrivaled at this point in time! Why, just staring at the stone's lustrous form has made me forget the smell entirely!"

"Perhaps this may fetch plenty of coin after all," Olberic smiled, almost looking like a proud father. "Well done, lass."

"Yeah, who wouldn't want to spend all their money on stinky, shiny, shitty rocks?"

"Therion! I'm so glad you offered to polish all of these for me." Tressa smiled at me, a malicious glint in her eyes.

"Oh,  _hell_ no," I refused, quite literally putting my foot down. "There is no way in hell that I'm helping you polish these stupid rocks, and you're insane if you think otherwise."

* * *

I can't believe I'm helping her polish these stupid rocks.

"Believe it, bucko!" Tressa snapped back at me as the eight of us continued to work diligently, polishing away. "We only need a few more until we can rake in the big bucks! Just think, Therion; we'll be swimming in leaves in no time! So stop whining and keep at it!"

Between the eight of us, we had all of Tressa's "skystones" polished to perfection within a couple of hours. In this time, Tressa had bought a mat and placed it onto the ground, gently placing the finished stones onto it. Even I had to admit that seeing them all sparkle in the sun was kinda neat.

Too bad they still smelled like horseshit.

"Just a few more… aaand there!" Tressa cheered, clapping her hands together like a schoolgirl. "We're ready, team! Tressa's Shop is now open for business!"

"Splendid, my girl," Cyrus congratulated. "Now might I  _please_ visit Odette? It's already half past noon!"

"Uh, I think not! What kind of merchant would I be without my Merchant's Advisor at my side?"

"... Merchant's Advisor?" Primrose asked. "There is no way in hell that's a thing."

"Primrose!" Ophilia gasped, a hand on her heart.

"What? What did I say?"

"I agree with Ophilia," Cyrus nodded firmly. "Such language has no business originating from a fair lady's mouth."

"Pfft. I'm not a child, you know," Primrose retorted, flipping her hair and batting her eyes in an almost rebellious fashion.

"Ah... w-well, of course you're not," Cyrus coughed as he tried to recompose himself, some of us snickering. "You're so voluptuous and - "

"Hm. Go on..."

"Wow." I smirked as Tressa and Ophilia's faces went beet red. "Just... wow."

"Well, well, well. Looks like little Green Pea has already bought herself a small army, and a pretty funny one to boot. Color me impressed."

Breaking away from the stupidity of our conversation, all of us turned to see a boy about Tressa's age standing before us, a cocky grin on his smug little face. Judging by his stupid red vest and his equally stupid matching headband and white feather, I could determine that this boy was indeed pretty stupid looking.

"Hmph," Tressa grumbled before sticking out her tongue at him. "I'd rather be a green pea than a  _mean_ pea!"

"Hah!" Alfyn chortled. "You better have some healing balm for that sick burn! Although, if you don't..."

"Alfyn!" Tressa whined, stomping her feet. "Stop being nice to mean peas!"

"Heh." The merchant boy coughed, smoothing his hair with a hand as he tried to keep his cool. "Right. And I suppose the rest of you might be wondering who I am."

"Nope."

"Not really."

"I'm just here until Tressa releases me, I'm afraid," Cyrus spoke up in his usual polite tone, bowing. "Even so, good sir, I suppose it'd be in the author's best interest if we humor you." Offering a hand, he continued, "I am Cyrus, scholar of Atlasdam. And you are…?"

"Ali," the boy replied smoothly, giving our loyal egghead a firm shake. "I'm kind of a big deal, you know. Basically the rising prince of merchants and all that."

"Prince Ali?" Tressa questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Handsome ist thee," H'aanit mused quietly, getting some odd looks. "Er... that ist to say- "

"Okay, if you loons start singing, I'm out of here," I stated firmly. "What do you want, kid? We're pretty busy here as is."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Ali said, walking a few paces away from us. He kneeled and pulled a fancy rug from his backpack before continuing to talk, setting it on the ground. "Little Green Pea over there is about to make a killing off of those little gems, isn't she?"

"What of it, Ali?" Tressa demanded with a scowl as she adjusted her hat menacingly. "Here to eat my dust?"

"Nope, don't mind me," the merchant boy brushed her off, sitting back on his mat with a smirk. "Just enjoying the view."

Ali was gazing straight at Tressa as he said that. The little merchant girl was clearly taken aback by his comment if her red face was any indication.

Or maybe it was just the heat. I don't care, really.

"I… y-y-you!"

"Eyes up, Green Pea!" Ali chirped. "Here comes a customer!"

Sure enough, a blonde woman dressed in a white sundress and matching hat came waltzing over, her eyes fixated on the glowing green gemstones on Tressa's rug. The gods had clearly been playing favorites when they made her, and she seemed to bounce with every step she took. I barely held back a snicker as Alfyn's jaw dropped, causing Primrose to promptly close it as everyone else watched quietly.

"Ooh! Those stones are simply  _fetching_!" the blonde woman declared in a haughty voice. "I simply  _must_ have a dozen. No,  _two_ dozen!"

"Wowie!" Tressa exclaimed with stars in her eyes before she corrected herself. "Er, I mean, okay! Two dozen lovely stones for a lovely lady!"

As the two began to negotiate prices, I looked around at everyone else to pass the time. Cyrus was now settled in the shade of a nearby building, reading some sort of book like a nerd as H'aanit sat beside him with an overheated Linde in her lap. Ophilia and Olberic were chatting about something insignificant as Primrose was glaring daggers at Alfyn, who was still gawking at the busty customer - or bustomer, if you will.

"So the total should come up to… wow, what a bargain! Only 12,000 leaves!" the bustomer announced joyfully, handing over a large sack of coins. "What a steal! Thank you so much, darling!"

"Always happy to find a bargain!" Tressa winked, graciously accepting the money as the woman turned to leave. Before she could, however, Alfyn had walked over and decided to make his move.

"Excuse me, miss," he began politely, "would you mind gracin' us with your name by chance?"

"Well, aren't you a cutie," she said in response, causing Alfyn's ears to practically ignite. "You may call me Esme."

"Esme… huh…"

"If that's all, I'm afraid I must be off," Esme smiled, turning and sauntering away with swishing hips. Turning her head over her shoulder, she said, "Perhaps we'll meet again, darling~!"

"Yeah," Alfyn agreed, a hand on the back of his neck. "Maybe we will…"

"I don't like her," I said bluntly, shooting a look at our lovestruck apothecary.

Primrose simply nodded in response. "Agreed. She is  _way_ too tacky."

"What? No. I mean… there's something not right with her…"

"She looked pretty good from where I'm sitting," Ali chuckled, causing Tressa to shoot a glare back in his direction. "... What?"

"How about that? Am I still a green pea, Mr. Big Shot?"

"Pfft. You've a long way to go, Little Pea, and no amount of friends you have is gonna change that."

"Heheh," Alfyn chuckled. "Little Pea…"

Despite myself, I cracked a smile.

Tressa merely rolled her eyes at us in response. "Oh, grow up!"

"Eyes on the prize, Greenie," Ali warned, nodding in the direction of several potential customers. "Here they come!"

"R-right!"

The next few minutes were full of Tressa eagerly bargaining with several paying customers, each looking to buy some of her skystones in spite of their shitty smell. I'd like to say that she sold them all and we were able to leave, but it can never just be that easy, can it?

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ali announced loudly as he struck a pose. Turning my head, I could see that there were skystones laid out on his rug in a similar manner to Tressa's, rivaling hers in number as well. Just where  _had_ he been storing all of those? "Why settle for  _her_ meager skystones when you could strike a  _real_ bargain with mine?"

"Hm?" an old man asked as he looked towards the idiot with raised eyebrows. "Now what's the difference here?"

"I'm also curious," a woman muttered.

We probably should have intervened in favor of Tressa, but the rest of us were currently huddled against the same wall as Cyrus and H'aanit, desperately trying to stay cool. Alfyn was applying wet towels to everyone's forehead as Cyrus opened a tome to produce a chilly breeze. The battle was not going well for Tressa; in mere minutes, that Ali had managed to basically steal her business altogether.

"Mrgrgr…!"

"Uh-oh," Olberic groaned, a hand on his head. "I don't like the sound of that…"

"That's not fair! Tressa was here first," Ophilia protested, her hands clenching slightly as she glared at a now very rich Ali.

"I do not understande," H'aanit remarked curiously, tilting her head like a lost puppy. "Their skystones aren the same, aren they not? Why doth Ali maketh more monies?"

"A most curious phenomenon indeed, my lovely huntress friend," Cyrus accidentally flirted, not even looking away from the merchant scene to notice her reddening face. "Perhaps it is a matter of charisma…?"

"Not hard to believe, really. Tressa has the charisma of a rock. Pretty fitting, all things considered…"

"Are you always this much of an ass, Therion?" Primrose chuckled, though there was still a bitter sting to her words.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"..."

After what seemed like forever, Ali had finally sold all of his stones and taken Tressa's would-be customers with him, whistling innocently as he lined his pockets. Tressa could only sit and stare at him in disbelief, her mouth agape. The rest of us joined her, giving the merchant boy dirty looks all the while.

"What? It's nothing personal, kiddo," Ali winked. "It's just - "

"Business," Tressa finished huffily, packing her leftover stones into her bags. "Yeah, yeah, I get it! I've heard it all before, you… you…!"

"Charming businessman? Honest merchant? Handsome devil?"

" _Asshole_ ," I spat, surprising myself and everyone present. Why was I so upset over this? What Tressa does is none of my business. Maybe the heat was getting to me…

"Whew, lads," Ali said at last, wiping his brow with a cheeky smile. "I barely knew Green Pea had friends to begin with, but a  _boyfriend_ on top of that! Hot dog!"

Tressa's eye twitched for a moment before the words finally leapt from her mouth, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. "HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

"... Yeah, what she said," I agreed, folding my arms and looking away.

"Geez. Could he  _be_ any edgier?"

"You wanna find out?"

"Therion, no," Ophilia scolded, staring me down with a fierce expression. "Stop it."

"But - "

"No, no, she's right." Tressa sighed in defeat. "Much as I'd like to punch his stupid face in right about now - "

"Hey!"

"... even  _he_ doesn't deserve that," Tressa finished, refusing to look Ali in the eye as she packed up her things dejectedly. "... C'mon, guys, let's go get some lunch or something…"

The rest of the group reluctantly agreed, each of them giving Ali one last glare as they turned to follow Tressa away from the town square. Olberic in particular looked like he wanted to deck the guy, but said nothing and merely sauntered off with everyone else.

"Are you comin', Therion?" Alfyn asked, turning back and giving me a friendly look.

"I'll catch up," I shrugged. Alfyn merely nodded and went along with the others, causing me to smile.

If it were anybody else, there'd be no way I could pull off what I was about to without getting in big trouble. But Alfyn, the poor sap…

Ali merely chuckled quietly, rubbing his arm. "Sheesh. Tough crowd, right? It's like their unfamiliar with the concept of business or something."

"Tch…"

"..."

"..."

"Well," he uttered awkwardly, " if that's all, I guess I'll be going. Later, Green Pea's Boyfriend!"

Before I could argue, Ali turned on his heel and walked away from the square. It was still pretty bright outside, so I would have to be  _really_ careful about how I dealt with this.

I silently stuck to the shadows, watching his every move as well as those of the other townspeople. I had to tail him for what felt like a mile before he finally stopped just at the outskirts of town. For some reason, the idiot merchant had decided to leave his bag on the ground as he stopped for a stretch.

 _Piece of cake_.

In one fell swoop, I slunk my hand into his bag and pulled out a pouch of leaves; not much, but I couldn't very well steal it all and get away unscathed. I made sure to leave the bag exactly as I found it - minus the pouch, of course - and crept back into town, my pocket a little heavier and nobody the wiser.

I never really stopped to consider the morality of stealing from what's basically a business thief, but I didn't really care. As far as I was concerned, Ali could eat a fat -

"Therion! There you are," Alfyn greeted as I finally made it to the town's tavern, the apothecary holding the door open. "Everyone else is already chowing down. Took a little walk?"

"Sure did," I nodded nonchalantly, walking in with a small smirk as he shut the door behind us.

Bizarrely enough, Tressa was nowhere to be seen at the group's table.

"Huh? Didn't she come with you guys?" I asked, walking closer to the group.

"You mean Tressa?" Cyrus questioned. "I'm afraid she retired to the inn for the time being. Something about not feeling so well…"

"Poor little thing," Primrose said. "She looked so torn up over that Ali stealing away her customers…"

"Disgusting," Olberic muttered, shaking his head and clenching a mug full of ale. "Absolutely disgusting…"

"Agreed," Ophilia nodded. "What a shameful, underhanded thing to do…"

"... Actually, I was referring to this mead. It's horrible and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

"Much liken Ali himself," H'aanit noted vacantly.

"... Hm."

"Something on your mind, buddy?"

"I'm not your buddy, Alf," I said gruffly. "... Forget it. I'm going on another walk."

Ophilia raised an eyebrow, her lips parted slightly. "What? But I thought you just - "

"Me. Walk. Now. Kay? Kay."

"Alright, caveman," Alfyn joked, "but I'm comin' with you."

"... Fine," I sighed. "Just don't get in my way."

Bidding everyone farewell for the time being, the two of us made our way out of the tavern and back onto the seedy streets of Quarrycrest. As we walked closer and closer to the inn - Alfyn being a chatterbox the whole time - I heard several voices coming from up ahead. Signalling to him to be quiet, I crept towards the source of the noise with Alfyn close behind me. Peeking our heads out from behind a nearby building, we could see Tressa and Ali arguing with a large man and his burly enforcer.

"... Maybe they're just havin' a friendly chat?" Alfyn suggested nervously.

Things took a turn for the hilarious when Ali decided to start posing dramatically, acting as if he was about to perform a flying kick on the burly man. Things got even better when he  _did_ do a flying kick, only to miss and hit a nearby wall instead.

"Ack! My leg!"

"Pfftch," I snickered, covering my mouth. Alfyn, however, was not amused in the slightest.

"Therion, look!"

Alfyn pointed to the scene where the burly man had now grabbed the injured Ali and hoisted him over his shoulder, walking away with the fat man in tow and leaving Tressa alone and afraid. After the two had unknowingly walked past us, Alfyn and I made our way over to her.

"Y-you guys!" Tressa cried with puffy eyes. "We gotta go after them!"

"Slow down a sec, Tress. What's going on? Why are your eyes all red? Do you need some allergy herbs or somethin' - "

"NO!" Tressa yelped, causing both of us to jump in surprise. "Those guys are gonna kill Ali! We have to save him right now, you guys!"

"I mean…  _do_ we?"

Tressa and Alfyn glanced at me as if I had kicked a puppy right in front of them and then ate it.

"Therion! How could you say something so horrible? Of  _course_ we have to save him!"

"Look, all I'm saying is - "

"No. Forget it," Tressa snapped, glaring at me. "Come if you want, I don't care. But  _I_ , on the other hand, am gonna save Ali no matter what!"

"Pfft. Sure, Tressa. Didn't it take like six of us to beat Orlick? And even then we only won because H'aanit got lucky with her little lightning arrow trick. How can you just rush into battle like that?"

"... Because if I don't," Tressa replied softly, looking down, "no one else will."

Alfyn, who had been uncharacteristically silent up until now, spoke up with a fire in his eyes. "I'm with you, Tress. Let's rally the others and bring Ali back to safety!"

"You guys barely have any real combat training as is. Hell, the only one who realistically stands a chance against them is Olberic and maybe H'aanit."

"You're right," Alfyn nodded. "Alone, we're near powerless. But together, through the power of friendship, we can form something greater and save the day!"

"... Oh,  _gods_ , I think I'm gonna hurl," I retched. "Do you honestly believe in that whole power of friendship trope? Please…"

"Shut up, Therion!" Tressa barked, clenching her fists. "If you won't help us, the others will for sure! Now c'mon, Alfyn! Time's a wasting!"

"You got it, boss!"

Without another word, the two stormed off towards the tavern to put their plan in motion. I honestly had no idea where those guys that took Ali even lived, but I knew one thing for sure.

Tressa was going to get everyone into trouble yet again, and all for some snot-nosed brat that she doesn't even like to begin with. Or, does she…?

I scoffed at the thought. What did it matter? It wasn't any of my business…

I started walking back towards the tavern myself, hands in my pockets, as I tried to figure out what I could do to help out. True, I didn't particularly  _want_ to, but if my battle with Orlick was any indication, getting the remaining two dragonstones would be a lot harder without a proper team.

"Or  _any_ team, for that matter," I chuckled darkly, shaking my head.

Fingering the small pouch of leaves in my pocket, my thoughts immediately drifted back to Tressa. The two of us, we were like night and day. I couldn't believe that fate had been cruel enough to thrust me into her hands, but she decided not to turn me over to the guards in Noblecourt when she easily could have. Because of her, now I had a shot at getting the damn bangle off of my arm and I had a small team of meat shields to boot. I just knew that I was going to regret this, but...

"... Maybe it's time for me to repay the favor."


	7. Busting Morlock

"... And that's why we have to save Ali!" Tressa finished explaining as I walked into the tavern. "That jerk Morlock kidnapped him!"

"Now hold on there, wee lass," the bartender said in a whisper, looking around the bar before settling on the travelers. Strangely enough, there didn't seem to be anyone else around. "Ya can't be talkin' about  _the_ Morlock, can ya? As in, the same Morlock that runs this 'ere town?"

"I don't care if he's the Queen of Hornburg!" Tressa shouted impatiently. "He's been stealing from these poor hardworking miners for way too long, and now he's kidnapped someone!"

"King Alfred's wife  _was_ rather influential in Hornburg," Olberic mused sadly, staring down at his blade. "I have failed them both, but I vow on my life that we will save that boy, troublesome as he may be."

"Olberic…"

"Wait, what did I just walk in on?" I asked, walking towards the group. "Who's stealing from who?"

"Who's stealing from  _whom_ , Therion - "

"Shut up."

"Ignoring your rudeness," Cyrus continued sternly, "Tressa is referring to a large man named Morlock who apparently has much control over Quarrycrest as a whole. If Tressa is to be believed, he's been forcing the city's miners to relinquish any discovered gold to this Murlock. Worse still, the value of said gold is upwards of ten times  _more_ than what he is paying them!"

"That's absolutely unacceptable!" Ophilia cried. "To say nothing of how he kidnapped Ali…"

"Which is exactly why we need to go teach him a lesson!" Tressa finished fiercely, clenching her fists. "I say we storm his place and give him what for!"

"Hmph. This should be interesting…"

"Does that mean you're in, Therion?"

I thought about it for a moment. The last big fight I had been in had nearly killed me, but it  _was_ for something that was actually helping my cause. All I would be doing now would be sticking my nose in somebody else's business, and probably getting it broken as a result. But then again, there  _could_ be some nifty treasures in wherever that kid was being held…

"... Tch. Yeah, alright," I relented, turning my head to the side. "You'll probably need someone of my talents anyway."

"Really? Yay!" Tressa yelled merrily, clapping her hands together momentarily before regaining a serious look. "Alright, let's go!"

"But where will we find this man?" Ophilia asked.

"...Well, don't ya be lookin' at me!" the bartender protested. "I sure as shite ain't fool enough to get caught up in this mess unlike the rest of ya dafties. Count me out!"

"But…"

Primrose stood up, clenching her fists. With a sweet smile, she said, "Don't worry, Tressa. I'll handle this, okay?"

"Uh, Primmy…?"

Primrose wordlessly sauntered over to the bartender, moving in an almost mystical manner. Everyone stared at her, almost as if in a chance, before she began to speak to the now hot-and-bothered bartender in a sultry voice.

"Isn't there  _anything_ we can say or do to change your mind?" Primrose asked, her hands creeping onto the poor fool's shoulders.

"Ah… w-well, now that ya mention it…"

"Shh," Primrose whispered, slinking behind the man and beginning to massage his shoulders. "Just tell us what we need, and maybe we can help you out in return…"

The rest of us said nothing, only watching in surprise, embarrassment, and utter shock as she continued to work her magic. Tressa and Ophilia seemed particularly flustered as did Alfyn, and H'aanit merely raised an eyebrow in confusion as Olberic coughed and Cyrus studied the scene with interest. As if a mother protecting her child, Ophilia snapped out of her trance and quickly covered Tressa's eyes.

"Ahh… well, I do happen to know that Murlock lives in a large mansion just a wee bit north from here," the bartender sighed. "Finest house in all the Clifflands, it is."

"Hee hee," Primrose giggled mischeviously. "Well, in that case, here's your reward…"

Without warning, Primrose's hand found the back of the man's neck and squeezed it in a particular area, causing him to slump over onto the floor unconscious.

"Prim, what the hay?!" Alfyn yelled. "You can't just do that to people!"

The dancer merely rolled her eyes, brushing her hands off on the man's coat. "Relax, Alfie. I just put him to sleep, that's all. He probably won't even remember a thing when he wakes up. More importantly, we have an actual location now."

"I feel dirty," Ophilia mumbled shyly. "Even so… we have to go help Ali!"

"And help him we shall," I agreed, walking over to the bartender and looting his resting body. Pulling out some leaves and a grape, I was met with six harsh glares and a look of confusion mixed with disdain courtesy of our resident huntress. "... What?"

"I can't believe you could be so vile, Therion," Tressa chided, her green eyes almost smouldering with disappointment.

"I can't believe you forced a thief into your party with the hopes that he wouldn't do what thieves are best known for. Sheesh, how did you become leader again?"

"Well, you see…"

"Stop," I held my hand out, interrupting Cyrus. "... Let's just go."

* * *

"Hrrgh… haah," Tressa puffed as she barely blocked an incoming swipe from a Two-handed-Eggling, just one of many weird creatures in the land of Orsterra. The creepy bastard was accompanied by another of its kind as well as a Great Condor up in the sky above us.

"Tressa, it's an egg with arms," I snarked from a safe distance. "At least  _try_ to put up a decent fight."

"Well I don't see  _you_ pitching in!" the merchant yelled as she lunged at the pair of egglings, spear in hand. Tressa pierced the shell of one of them as the other was swiped away by the might of Olberic's mighty blade.

"Consider this payback for the rock-polishing business," I chuckled.

"Raargh!" Alfyn yelled, leaping into the air with his axe and just barely missing the condor. The large bird almost seemed to laugh at him before swooping down and slashing him with his talons. "Ow! Damnit!"

"Don't push yourself, Alfyn!" Ophilia called, healing his wounds with her light magic-empowered staff as H'aanit and Cyrus took aim with their bow and magic respectively.

"I'm alright, Phili," Alfyn smiled back in gratitude.

"Together, Professor!" H'aanit called, making eye contact with the scholar before nodding and letting loose their powers.

The Great Condor let out a cry as its body was pierced with several arrows before a bolt of lightning came down, frying it and sending its large frame plummeting to the ground.

"Tressa, Olberic, move!" Primrose cried.

The Unbending Blade and little merchant girl rolled to their left or right side as the condor's corpse came crashing down on one of the hatchlings, killing it instantly.

"Niiiice," Alfyn crooned with a cheeky grin. "Good job, team!"

"Ugh," Primrose whined, running her fingers through her long brown hair. "I hate random encounters."

Tressa stood up, brushing the dirt off of her still-shaking knees. "I dunno, Primmy. I think they build character!"

"Levels, my dear," Cyrus corrected softly. "They build  _levels_ , which is just what we need if we're going to be facing off against Morlock and whatever ill tricks he has up his sleeves."

"Yeah, that too!"

"Yeah, great, woo. Go team."

"Hey," Ophilia called, "wasn't there one more…?"

I had no time to react as a large force rammed into my back, knocking me to the ground. Quickly pushing myself up and turning around, I could see the other hatchling taunting me with its creepy finger before it curled up inside of its shell and spun towards me.

"I thinken not!" H'aanit protested as she pulled a net out of her bag and lunged forward. "You aren mine to commandeth now!"

The poor eggy bastard rolled right into the net and was perfectly ensnared, struggling and writing for a few moments before it finally calmed down. As it stopped moving, H'aanit knelt down and put a hand on its shell.

"It shall be alright," she softly reassured the little monster. "I promise thee."

"Alright!" Tressa shouted joyfully, standing on one foot. "You just caught an Eggling!"

"A Two-Armed Eggling, to be more precise," Cyrus smiled, pulling out a small book and opening it. "Now let's see what my Orsterrex has to say about this. Hmm… aha! ' _The Two-handed Eggling, thought by many to be a possessed egg, is merely a bird that has not fully hatched yet. As it sports two strangely non-avian forelimbs, you'd do well to not mistake it for breakfast._ '"

"Such riveting information, Professor Albright… ow…"

"Are you alright?" Ophilia asked, beginning to heal me before I could even answer. I guess, in a way, I was grateful for it; my back would be killing me in the morning if I had said no.

"Man, Therion," Alfyn laughed, "who knew you were such a big fan of egg rolls?"

"..."

"Boooo!"

"Ugh…"

"Alf, that was horrible!"

Alfyn merely recoiled as some of the others jeered at his poor attempt at comedy. "Sheesh, sorry… Tough crowd."

"Not to worry, my friend," Cyrus reassured with a hand on his shoulder, "I thought it was quite an  _egg_ -celent joke if I do say so myself!"

"Gee, thanks, Professor! I guess you'd know best; you are the  _eggs_ -pert, after all!"

"Stop," Olberic groaned, pinching his nose and shutting his eyes. "Just… stop."

"Yeah, I guess we should," Alfyn sighed, seemingly relenting. With a mischievious smirk, he then added, "Wouldn't want to come across as  _egg_ -norant, now would we?"

" _Oh my god_ ," I snapped, " _enough_ with the puns already! I swear, you two are acting like a bunch of..."

"Eggheads?"

"ARGH!"

The rest of the gang, pun-weary as they were, shared a laugh at my misery as Alfyn and Cyrus high-fived. The two were clearly proud of what they had done, and so I had decided to move on without them and walk to Morlock's place on my own.

… Right after looting the two monster corpses, of course.

"Aww, Theri! That's  _gross_!" Tressa whined annoyingly.

"Oh, can it. Like you've never taken any money from some poor unfortunate soul on the side of the road before," I muttered, rolling my eyes and pocketing some leaves for safekeeping. Why  _did_ these wild beasts carry money anyway?

"And what is  _that_ supposed to mean?! I'm not a bloodthirsty maniac, you know," she protested as she and the rest of us began to walk further down the road. "Besides, those things didn't leave us a choice in fighting, but it's not like we  _have_ to loot their bodies to survive…"

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed, closing my eyes. "Still, it's pretty weird how all of these weird creatures just… exist, you know?"

"I doth not understandeth thee, Therion."

"I mean… giant armored armadillos? Humanoid rats with weapons?  _Giant electric tortoises_?"

Olberic merely shrugged. "I see nothing out of the ordinary here."

"Seriously? Nobody but me finds this the least bit strange?" I asked. Everyone else similarly shrugged in response. "... Well, shit. Guess I  _am_ the odd one out then. Again."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

As we continued to walk down the twisting, turning pathway that would eventually lead us to that fat bastard's house, the party continued to chat and laugh amongst themselves. While they were doing that, I couldn't help but consider the ridiculousness of it all. Not a single one of these people seemed anything like me in terms of morality and yet here I was, accompanying them for the ride while on a quest to restore my own pride by recovering two more shiny rocks to get a piece of metal off of my wrist.

"The world works in mysterious ways, young Therion," Cyrus said, an arm around my shoulder as he walked uncomfortably close to me. As we awkwardly continued walking, we saw Tressa skipping ahead of everyone else with Ophilia and Alfyn trying to get her to slow down. "It seems that the gods themselves, through little Tressa, have brought us all together for some reason. Some greater purpose, if you will…"

"Bud, the only purpose I have is to get my pride back and line my pockets in the process," I huffed, shrugging him off. "I'm not here to make friends."

The older scholar merely looked at me with a mixture of hurt and pity - how I  _hated_ pity - before quietly relenting. "... As you wish…"

Before long, we reached a large white mansion at the very end of the road, not totally unsimilar to House Ravus. I'll admit, Morlock had some serious balls not to have any guards roaming the outside. Either that, or he was incredibly stupid. Or both.

Instinctively, I crept towards the front doors of the mansion and gave the knobs a jiggle. Sure enough, the guy wasn't totally devoid of brains and had them locked. I merely smirked before searching in my bag to find a couple of bobby pins.

"Therion?"

"This won't take but a minute," I bragged, kneeling and getting to work. The others watched on with interest as I dilligently searched for an opening before finally finding a weak point in the lock.

_Twist… clink… clunk… ker-chunk!_

Primrose let out a whistle as I was able to get the doors unlocked. "Not bad, Therion. Not bad in the slightest…"

"Years of practice, baby," I replied under my breath, silently opening the door a crack and peering inside. Once I was sure it was safe, I opened it fully and invited the rest inside.

Whoever had designed the place sure had my props. The floors themselves looked as if they had been paved with gold, and two artsy-looking statues stood to the left and right with two magnificent staircases alongside them.

"Golly," Alfyn sighed, utterly awestruck as he and the others looked around. "This is incredible…"

"Focus, guys," Tressa ordered with a determined look on her face, "we can do some sightseeing after we find Ali!"

"Right!"

"At least there's no guards around here, right?" Alfyn chuckled. "That should make things easier - "

"Hey! Who goes there?!"

Everyone turned to look at the mercenaries and their dogs standing at the top of the stairs, swords and teeth bared menacingly. Everyone then proceeded to look at Alfyn with annoyed expressions.

"... Whoops, heh. Sorry, guys…"

* * *

Several dead guards and unconscious dogs later, the eight of us had finally managed to make our way to a large room in the deepest part of the mansion. Dodging living lanterns and more guardsmen had sapped us of our strength a considerable amount, and now Ophilia and Alfyn were patching us up just outside of what Tressa smartly dubbed the "Boss Room".

"Aaaand… there. That oughta do it," Alfyn sighed, wiping his forehead as he finished.

"Don't forget about yourself, Alfyn," Ophilia warned gently as she let her light magic envelop and heal his frame. "We all need you here as well."

"Heh. Thanks, Phili."

"Right," Olberic said quietly, nodding. Eyeing the big door up ahead, he asked, "How shall we proceed?"

"I say we try the stealth approach," I offered. "With any luck, we can grab the kid and get out of here unscathed."

Cyrus closed his eyes and spoke up. "Though I rather like the idea of avoiding conflict, there  _is_ still the matter of Quarrycrest's subjugated miners… Tressa, what do you think?"

But Tressa had already charged through the door, spear in hand as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"HERE I COME, ALI!"

"Tressa, what the hell?!" I shouted after her, grabbing my daggers and charging ahead. "You idiot!"

"I guess we don't have a choice," Olberic sighed. "Friends, to action!"

The seven of us burst through the door and saw Tressa glaring at the two men from before, the fatter one standing above an injured Ali the Incompetent.

"So," Morlock boomed, "the little merchant returns. Here for a job offer?"

"I'm here for my friend," she snarled, "my  _stones_ , and the rights of the people! Who gave you the right to mistreat these people? And for what? Money? Don't you realize that true justice is priceless?"

"Justice?  _Justice_?! Bahahaha! You're a soft little fool of a merchant," the man laughed boisterously. "There is no justice in this world, girl. Only wealth and the wealthy! And your petty emotions have no power when it comes to that."

"Y-you're wrong," Ali coughed, nearly spitting on Morlock's shoes.

"More lies from the alleged 'Prince of Merchants'! But I suppose it runs in the blood, doesn't it?"

"Ngh…"

Everyone looked at each other, completely confused, with the exception of Tressa who merely stared ahead at the men before her. "... What? What are you talking about?"

Morlock merely chuckled as he walked closer to Ali, grabbing him by his shirt and lifting him up. "Go on, maggot. Tell her about your father, Maruf. Tell her about how that 'self-made merchant' is nothing more than a swindling worm!"

"Shut up!" Ali barked, wrestling against the larger man's grasp. "You're wrong! My father was an honorable man, and  _far_ more honorable than an extorting pig like you!"

Everyone was shocked as Morlock abruptly dropped the boy back down to the ground, his mighty boot resting heavily on Ali's chest.

"Ali!" Tressa cried, her hand outstretched.

"This has gone on long enough," Olberic announced angrily, drawing his blade and pointing it in their direction. "Relinquish the boy and leave this place at once. I'll not hesitate to cut you down should you refuse."

"A band of mercenaries, is it?" Morlock asked, giving our group a once-over. "I really only wanted to recruit the boy and the girl, but I suppose the rest of you could have your uses as well. Yes... you'd all fetch quite a pretty penny! Gahahaha!"

"You're abhorrent," Primrose snarled, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Grasping her dagger tightly, she said, "There is no way in Hell that any of us would resort to working for a dishonest bastard like you, willingly or otherwise."

"Oh?"

"Mr. Morlock," Tressa growled, stepping forward and adjusting her hat. "I've never heard anyone say such horrible, cruel,  _repulsive_  words before in my entire life! You might be rich when it comes to money, but you're more morally bankrupt than Therion!"

"Hey!" I protested briefly. "... Actually, no, yeah, you're right. Carry on."

"You call Ali's father a swindler, but who is it that regularly cheats his workers out of their own hard-earned money? Who is it that takes from the poor to make yourself richer? Who's the  _real_ swindler here?!" Tressa demanded, still glaring at Morlock with pure hatred in her eyes. "That's right, bucko. It's  _you_."

"Yeah, get him, Tress!" Alfyn cheered on, axe at the ready.

"That tears it!" Morlock yelled, kicking Ali aside before staring right back at Tressa. With a snap of his fingers, several mercenaries had rushed into the room from behind us, standing in our way to keep anyone from running. "Omar! It's time you taught the brat and her little friends some manners!"

The burly man who had been largely silent up until this point walked towards Tressa, brandishing an axe menacingly and towering over her. Tressa took a few steps backwards as Olberic took her place, sword in hand. The rest of us then created a defensive formation around Tressa as the battle began.

Predictably, Morlock's guards charged right at us to start as Olberic engaged the big guy with the axe. Just like the last time, Cyrus and Tressa took turns blasting magic to keep the mooks at bay as H'aanit and Primrose took potshots at Omar with arrows and dark magic. I kept to the center and studied the enemies' movements, looking for a chance to strike.

_Left swing, parry, dodge to the right… Now!_

I lunged forward with a dagger in either hand and struck multiple times, stabbing and slashing at a poor bastard before kicking him away. Still on his feet, he sprinted towards me with a sword raised high above his head. I knew that I couldn't parry that with my daggers, so I ran towards him and slid under his legs, throwing a punch at his nads.

… Hey, nobody said thieves fight fairly.

"Agh! You cheap… bastard," the guard squealed before falling to the ground unconscious as the other guards continued to fight their hardest.

"How about this?" a mercenary challenged, rushing towards a distracted Cyrus and Tressa. "Ha!"

While the two were preoccupied using their spells on other enemies, the merc in question had managed to slash at them both, nicking them enough to draw blood.

"Argh!"

"Tressa!"

Catching Ophilia's gaze, I shouted, "Go heal them, I'll go draw some aggro away from them!"

"What?"

"Forget it, just do your thing!"

Without another word, I rushed back into the fray just in time to block another hit moving towards Tressa. Alfyn was now in the process of healing Cyrus just as H'aanit returned to our side, Olberic now facing Omar alone. With a war cry, she and Linde leapt in front of our squishier teammates and started going to town on the remaining guards including the one that had just attacked our allies, axe and claws flying everywhere. I could only stand with my mouth agape as H'aanit brought the axe down hard on a poor guard, Linde mauling another savagely.

Meanwhile, Olberic was still squaring off against Omar, having blocked another overhead swing before countering with a thrust of his own. Primrose was near his side, cheering him on all the while.

"Ha!" Primrose cried, twirling around and striking a pose as a magical aura surrounded her. "The Mole Dance!"

Within seconds, Olberic's body was covered in a similar aura that seemed to fortify his defenses, making Omar's attacks do less damage. Primrose then did a few graceful leaps as she yelled out, "The Panther Dance!" Soon enough, Olberic found himself moving at an almost inhuman speed. The large axe-wielding man merely grunted in confusion as his attacks became less effective, Olberic parrying them with greater ease.

"Hyaa!" Olberic shouted, jumping into the air and doing an impressive somersault slash that Omar barely blocked. The impact caused the burly man to slide backwards before kneeling on the ground, using his weapon for support. Morlock's jaw dropped comedically as he watched from the sidelines, growing more and more nervous by the second.

Tressa and Cyrus, meanwhile, had been healed fully and were now teaming up to create a large spell, the merchant casting wind and the scholar casting ice magic. They continued until they had what appeared to be a small tornado forming between them.

"Olberic!" Ophilia called out, getting his attention. "Move!"

The strong warrior did as he was told, moving a considerable distance away as the icy tornado was flung towards a kneeling Omar who had only just started to get back to his feet. The burly mercenary could only look at the attack with dismay as it collided with his body, battering and chilling him before dispelling in a burst of magical energy. Omar merely sunk to his knees before falling face-first onto the floor, unmoving.

"Ha!" Tressa shouted from across the room, striking a pose. "How's  _that_ for tradewinds?"

"Steady now, Tressa," Cyrus chided gently with a smile. "Try not to lose your  _cool_!"

"I hate both of you so much," I sighed as the battle came to an end, Omar having been rendered unconscious by the blast and the remaining guards either dead or running away bleeding. Looking around the destroyed room, I added, "Sheesh… you guys sure know how to throw a party."

"See that, Therion?" Tressa asked with a prideful look. "That's the power of friendship at work!"

"No. That's a Dual Tech."

"A what?"

"... Forget it."

The battle won, the eight of us (and a very hungry Linde) turned our attention back to a cowering Morlock. The once-haughty man had now been broken considerably, sweating like a hog and shaking like a leaf. Ali could only look up at us in awe, clearly impressed.

"It's over, Mor _dork_ ," Tressa sneered, "now apologize for tarnishing Ali's father like that! And for abusing the people of Quarrycrest!"

"Yeah!" Alfyn added pointlessly, also glaring.

"I… I… okay! I'm sorry! I'm so very, truly,  _profusely_  sorry!" Morlock relented, sinking to his knees and clasping his hands together with his head down. Everyone sans Tressa exchanged glances with each other, clearly not believing it was that easy.

"Green Pea," Ali gasped, a hand on his arm. "You don't have to - "

Tressa interrupted him by putting her hand in front of his face. "Save it,  _Mean_ Pea. I'm still mad at you."

"Ha… makes sense. I kinda  _did_ drag you all into this," the boy sighed, his head down. "I'm sorry, everyone…"

"Thinke nothing of it," H'aanit said gently, wiping some blood off of her forehead as Linde licked at some red spots on her fur. "Thou art safe, and tis all that matters."

"H'aanit, you're all bloody," Alfyn said with fretful eyes. "Here, let me help - "

"Fie, Alfyn! Tis merely the blood of mine enemies."

"Oh... Okay then!"

The group shared a laugh that made me uneasy. Just how often did that have to happen for it to be no big deal? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though…

Clearing her throat, Tressa turned to the still-cowering Morlock. "Morlock, I think I speak for everyone in Quarrycrest when I say it's high time you flew the coop."

"What…? You mean… leave my business? My income?"

Olberic leered at him threateningly, still gripping his unsheathed blade.

"... It shall be done!" Morlock squealed, leaping to his feet and running out of the battle-worn room. "C'mon, Omar! A brighter business opportunity waits on the horizon!"

The burly man, now fully conscious, rose to his feet and took his leave after his master, leaving his axe behind. Seeing this, Alfyn walked over to the weapon and lifted it with considerable difficulty. "Aww, yeah! Check this out you guys!"

"Alfyn," Ophilia cried, "please don't strain yourself!"

Tressa let out a cheer as she hopped into the air. "Woohoo! We saved the day! Now we just need someone new to run this town. Someone responsible, reliable, and a person of the people above all else!"

Without another word, everyone turned to H'aanit.

"... What?"

* * *

"... Seriously?" Ali asked as the nine of us stood in the town square of Quarrycrest, here to attend the new mayor's inauguration with the rest of the townsfolk. "An Eggling?"

"Hey!" Alfyn protested. "That's  _Mayor_ Eggling to you, kiddo. And for the record, his full name is Eggbert Eggnatius Eggling. Show some respect, why don'cha?"

"Ah… right," Ali coughed, kneeling before the two-armed creature with a new fancy hat. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mayor... Eggling…"

"This is so stupid," I said, folding my arms. I just…  _what_?!

"Hey, I'd vote for him again," Primrose giggled, her sweet voice filling the air.

The audience applauded as Mayor Eggling was officially recognized (somehow) as the new leader of Quarrycrest. The letters he allegedly wrote claimed that he would be firm, fair, and a loving ruler above all else. He also promised that every miner could keep whatever they found if they so chose to, and any miner who wanted to sell their discoveries would reap the full fruits of their labor.

"They grow up so fast," Tressa sniffed, blowing her nose with a honk. "I'm so proud of you, Mayor Eggbert!"

As the crowd dispersed and the new mayor was carted to his new house (formerly Morlock's), the eight of us were left chatting in the town square as the sun began to set. Some of us retired to the inn for the night and our group dwindled until it was just me and Tressa.

"Man… some day, huh?"

"I'll say," she giggled, shaking her head. "I'm just happy that we were able to rescue Ali and Quarrycrest as a whole! Now nobody here has to live in fear anymore, Therion!"

"Oh, sure," I snarked. "It's not like there's a bunch of deadly wild animals every five steps you take outside of the city or anything."

Tressa rolled her eyes and shoved me lightly. "You know what I mean! Geez…"

"Hmph…"

"Still," she mumbled, playing with a loose strand of hair absentmindedly. "... Thanks for helping out."

"Huh? I didn't do much," I shrugged. "Hell, you and Cyrus pretty much stole the show along with Olberic."

"I heard what you told Ophilia," Tressa explained with a small, shy smile. "That thing about distracting the enemy so she could heal us…"

"... Pfft. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do! … You're not completely horrible, you know? Well, for a thief."

"Gee, thanks," I said. "Can I go now?"

By now, I had noticed that Tressa had gotten almost uncomfortably close to me, not unlike Cyrus earlier. This time, though, it felt… different. Like,  _weird_ , different. Her green eyes sparkled like skystones as the sunset gave everything in my field of vision a magnificent, warm orange glow. The wind itself seemed to be calling her name, her short brown hair being kissed by the breeze even from underneath her silly hat.

"Uh," I mumbled, unsure of what to say. Fingering around in my pocket, I remembered that I still had a pouch of leaves that I had "borrowed" from Ali earlier. Taking it out and shoving the pouch into her hand, I blurted, "Oh yeah, I picked this up awhile ago. You should have it."

"Huh…?" Tressa blinked, looking down at the pouch. Predictably, she gave me a suspicious look. "Therion, I swear - "

"Hey, I didn't steal it! I just looted it from a dead enemy," I explained. "Totally not the same thing."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better…"

"Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"I don't care," I snorted, turning and walking away to find the nearest tavern. "See you back at the inn, Greenie."

"What the… hey! Come back here, you!"

* * *

By the time I was done drinking, night had fallen and I had made my way to our room in the inn and had kicked off my shoes before collapsing into an empty bed face-first. It would be a little hard to sleep over the chatting of the others, but I would manage. I always did.

"... So, have you decided what you're going to do from here, Tressa?" Ophilia questioned softly, maybe to keep me from listening.

"After you guys all left," Tressa said, "Ali came over and thanked me - well,  _us_ \- for saving him. He told me about how he's on a mission to repay his father's debts and then mentioned something about the Merchants' Fair in Grandport. He said that you can buy anything there, you guys?"

"Love?" Alfyn asked.

"Revenge?" Primrose suggested.

"A will to live?"

"Therion, I thought you were asleep!" Tressa exclaimed.

I lifted my head so that I could look at everyone. "Oh, I am. I've just mastered the art of sleeptalking is all. Pay me no mind."

"Very funny," Ophilia chuckled. "Then your ultimate destination is Grandport, Tressa?"

"Sure is! But before I go there, my journal mentioned something about Goldshore. I don't know anything about the place, but doesn't it sound pretty?"

"How wonderful! I believe I also have business to attend to there."

"Yes, yes, very good," Cyrus chimed in. "As promised, we can visit virtually every city in all of Orsterra eventually! However, I'm afraid our business as a whole in Quarrycrest is not quite concluded yet."

"Oh yeah… sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to get you all caught up in this," Tressa sighed. "It's just…"

"Worry not, my dear! I was proud to help the lot of you save that boy from Morlock," the professor responded chipperly. "And our combined spell technique was simply  _sublime_! I dare say you'll surpass me in no time at all!"

"You really think so?"

"Indubitably!"

The chatter continued for quite some time before everyone finally decided to check in, the room growing dark and silent. I still had no idea just how we had managed to squeeze all of us into this room, or just  _why_ we kept having to share a singular room, but I was too tired to care anymore. Tomorrow, Cyrus was undoubtedly going to drag us off on yet another crazy adventure and I needed all the rest I could get.

'Still,' I thought as I felt myself sink into an ocean of slumber with a weary smile.

At least the brat was happy.


	8. Bloody Tears

I jolted up from my bed, panting and sweating once again. Peering around in the darkness, I could see that everyone else was sleeping peacefully. Olberic slept in a chair in the corner of the room, folding his arms as if watching over children. His blade was propped against the nearby wall, still in its sheath but no less threatening. Alfyn and Tressa took turns snoring from opposite sides of the room as the other three and Linde slept in silence.

"Hang on," I muttered. "Where's Ophilia…?"

Sleep could wait; now I had to make sure that she wasn't doing anything crazy. Silently rising from the somewhat rough bed, I crept my way over to the door and grabbed the handle. My heart leapt when Olberic seemed to stir at the sound, instinctively clutching his sword in his sleep.

"Erhardt… you'll pay for this… zzz…"

I merely sighed in relief as I slunk out of the door, leaving it open just a crack. The inn's halls were as dark as the room itself, so I wouldn't have to worry about anyone waking up due to light. I tiptoed down the hall and into the main lobby of the inn where the innkeeper himself was reclining in a chair, snoring loudly. Still no sign of Ophilia, though.

"Damn," I mumbled, sneaking past the snoozing innkeeper and out the front door. "Where could she have gotten off to?"

"Looking for someone?"

"Agh!"

Sure enough, Ophilia was standing off to the side of the inn, her face illuminated by the light magic radiating from her staff. The blonde cleric giggled politely with her free hand over her mouth before I calmed down.

"Hee hee… Did I scare you, Therion?"

"... Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed with folded arms. "What are you even doing out here by yourself? Don't you know how dangerous it can be at this hour?"

Ophilia shook her head with a smile, her golden locks flowing as she did so. "Oh, I'm not worried. I can handle myself quite well, you know. Still… it's sweet that you care..."

I instantly felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. Now I  _really_ wished she didn't carry that damn staff around all the time. "D-don't get the wrong idea. I just wouldn't want to lose a valuable asset, that's all…"

I could see her face fall as soon as the words escaped my mouth, her amber eyes shifting about sadly. "Oh…"

'Smooth, Therion,' I snarled at myself in my head. 'Nicely done, you stupid piece of sh - '

"To answer your question," she said after a short pause, "I just needed some fresh air."

"Ah," I coughed. "Likewise…"

"..."

"..."

"... Um…"

"Well, I think I've made an ass out of myself enough for one night," I said, turning to leave. "Night."

"N-now hold on!" Ophilia blurted, grabbing me by the arm rather tightly. Just where the hell did she get such strength from…? "We need to talk."

"I mean…  _do_ we?"

"Therion."

"Alright, alright," I groaned, walking a few paces to the right to sit on the ground. Unsurprisingly, Ophilia followed suit, putting her staff between us so we could still see each other in the darkness. "What's so important?"

"Ah," Ophilia paused, uncertainty written all over her face as she desperately tried to string her words together in her head. "W-well, you've been with us for a few days now, and… I just wanted to see how things were coming along."

"I don't follow."

"You know," she mumbled, gesturing with her hands awkwardly. "This. Being part of a team."

"... Oh. It's alright, I guess," I shrugged. "Not my cup of tea, personally, but you guys sure know how to handle yourselves in a fight."

"Hee hee… indeed. With all the monsters and brigands running around the country, we're quite fortunate to be a part of such a strong and talented group of people," Ophilia sighed, hugging her knees. Looking up at the moonlit sky, she said, "I never knew traveling the world could be so invigorating, and yet…"

"... You miss home," I finished quietly, also looking up.

"It's childish, isn't it?" she questioned in a serious tone, causing me to look back at her in surprise.

"... What? No, of course not," I responded, rolling my eyes. "From the sounds of things, you had it pretty good in Flamesgrace. A roof over your head, a doting father, a loving sister… hell, if I had any of those things, I'd be homesick too."

"Oh!" Ophilia exclaimed as her hands flew to her mouth, her cheeks turning red. "I'm so sorry, Therion. I - "

I casually interrupted her with a wave of my hand and a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault for bringing it up to begin with. He always  _did_ say that I had a tendency to make everything about myself…"

"... Darius?"

"Huh?" I blurted, looking at the cleric with wide eyes. "How did you - ?"

"You mentioned him before we left for Quarrycrest," she explained. With a still-reddening face, she then added, "I believe you mentioned that he said you always had good taste in women…"

"Ah… that," I chuckled awkwardly as I turned my head away from her. I drummed my fingers along the ground for a moment before continuing. "You know, I was kinda hoping that you had forgotten about that…"

"A lady never forgets, Therion," Ophilia giggled, her redness fading slightly. "I really don't think I'm as beautiful as you say, but it's flattering all the same…"

"I-I never said that!"

"Ahaha!"

"Tch… a woman of the cloth teasing a man while he's down," I joked. "How ironic."

"I'm sorry, Therion," Ophilia uttered through her giggle fit, shaking her head as her sweet laughter rang in my eardrums. It was like honey, but in music form. "You're just too adorable when you're flustered!"

"Oh?" I smirked with a raised eyebrow. Two could play at that game. "So you think I'm cute, do you?"

The realization of her words made the cleric freeze in her spot, her pools of amber wide with fear and embarrassment. "I… that is to say…"

"Pfft…!"

"Oh, you're so… ooh!" Ophilia yelled, rising to her feet and briskly brushing off her white nightgown.

_Had she always been wearing that…?_

"I think I'm tired enough to go back to sleep now," the cleric admitted as she refused to meet my eye. Surprisingly enough, though, she still offered a hand in my direction. "Are you… retiring for the night as well?"

"... Yeah, I guess so," I sighed as I accepted her hand.

Ophilia pulled me to my feet with a single tug and I felt myself feeling oddly lighter for some reason. Maybe it was the lack of sleep getting to me, or maybe it was that she had become closer to me as a result. She had a soft, almost feathery touch; a far cry from my rough, calloused hands. Her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight, her staff now dark once more and almost completely forgotten about. Her lips, soft and pure, seemed to part just so slightly...

It was then that I panicked, hastily dragging my hand away from her and back into my pocket. My heart was pounding against my ribcage, almost as hard as it had been during my last encounter with Darius. That same feeling... that same bout of  _fear_...

"... We should go," I said bluntly.

"Y-yes… ah, after you," Ophilia mumbled quietly, rubbing her arm.

"No, you go first," I nodded towards the door, trying to ignore the growing anxiety bubbling back to the surface. "I'll cover you."

"We're not in battle, Therion," Ophilia chided softly, her cheeks still tinted pink. Walking in front of me, she said, "Still… Thank you."

"Hmph," I sighed, looking over my shoulder as we made our way back inside the inn. Despite myself, I smiled. "Don't mention it."

* * *

It was nearly midday when I finally woke up, and only about a handful of us still remained in the inn. Tressa had taken Olberic, H'aanit, and Alfyn with her to the local stores to buy some better gear, leaving the remaining four of us here.

"Ah, Therion," Cyrus smiled as I walked into the lobby. "Good day to you. I trust you slept well?"

I briefly locked eyes with Ophilia before looking back to Cyrus and shrugging. "More or less, I guess."

"Splendid, splendid! As it just so turns out, Tressa has left me in charge of this little squad today," the scholar exclaimed with a prideful expression. "Which means that you all finally get to meet my old colleague, Odette! Isn't that exciting?"

"Of course, Professor," Primrose replied in a flat voice as she brushed her hair absentmindedly. "I'll admit, I'm quite curious about your…  _relationship_ , with her…"

This caused Cyrus to turn to the dancer with a quizzical look on his face. "Pardon?"

"Primrose!" Ophilia admonished softly with pink cheeks.

"What?" Prim smirked mischievously. "It's no business of mine who the Professor may or may not have had relations with in the past."

"N-now see here!" Cyrus demanded, blushing. "Our relationship was nothing but professional, I'll have you know! There was absolutely no fraternizing of the sort with regards to sexual activity whatsoever."

The room fell silent as the three of us stared at the professor, his redness only intensifying. Ophilia's reaction mirrored his own as Primrose merely raised an amused eyebrow, and it almost looked like the cleric was silently thanking the gods that Tressa wasn't present. Who knows how badly  _that_ would have gone down…

"... Riiiight," I said, breaking the awkward silence as I walked towards the front door. "Well, I'm ready if you guys are. Hell, I think I already trust you as a leader over Tressa, Cyrus."

"Why, I'm flattered, Therion," Cyrus replied poshly, "but I'll have you know that what Tressa lacks in age and experience, she compensates for in optimism and potential!"

"Hm… potential, huh," I thought out loud, eyeing the professor strangely. "You mean, like… magic? That sort of egghead thing?"

"Quite right," Cyrus nodded, standing from his chair. "You see, everyone in Orsterra has an innate connection to what we scholars refer to as the Elements. As you might already know, there are six known elements in existence: fire, ice, lightning, wind, light, and darkness."

"That's not what my chemistry teacher told me," Primrose said in an annoying sing-song voice, twirling two small dark orbs around her fingers as she examined her nails.

" _Magical_ elements, I should clarify," Cyrus corrected himself, adjusting that weird white thing on the front of his outfit. "Yes. These  _magical_ elements can, in theory, be harnessed by everyone to at least some degree. Some, such as myself, have dedicated large portions of their lives to learning how to harness this elemental energy, hence being able to use powerful spells in combat."

"Great," I snorted. "I've always been more of a cloak and dagger guy, myself."

Primrose smiled. "I can relate on that front. Though I find myself using my own magic more and more as of late…"

"Indeed. I'll readily admit that, while everyone  _can_ use magic with enough training, there are individuals that are definitely more predisposed to having stronger magical ties than others," Cyrus prattled on, almost boring me to tears. "Case in point, I have surmised based on observations in battle that I, Ophilia, Primrose, and young Tressa have more magical potential overall whereas Olberic, Alfyn, H'aanit, and you seem to be more suited to physical combat, Therion."

"How meta. Can we go now?"

"B-but… I've hardly even gotten to the jobs mechanic yet…!"

"Who was it that wanted to meet this Odette person for tea and crumpets today?" I pointed out.

"... Well, alright," Cyrus sighed. "I suppose I can pick this lesson up another time…"

As Ophilia and Cyrus walked out the front door, Primrose locked eyes with me before winking.

"Thanks, Therion."

"Tch…"

* * *

Odette's house was small, and it was certainly in an odd spot compared to the rest of the town. I get that Quarrycrest has a weird layout, but… who builds a house right on a cliff? In a mining town of all places, no less…

"Cyrus… are you sure this is the right place?" Ophilia questioned as we walked up the stairs, wood creaking underneath our feet.

"It has to be, Ophilia," he insisted, giving the door a light triple-knock. "The letter claimed in no uncertain terms that this is indeed her house!"

And then another.

And then  _another_.

"Alright," I said, "I think that's enough. Clearly she's not home so this whole thing was just a big waste of - "

Before I could finish, the door swung open to reveal a stern, blonde woman with glasses. Her face immediately contorted into one of disbelief as she saw Cyrus's face, and the door was promptly slammed shut. An odd squealing noise followed shortly, causing Primrose to snicker.

"... Erm… Odette?"

"Is my mind playing tricks on me?" her muffled voice came from behind the door.

"Yes, you're totally hallucinating him," I deadpanned. "Never mind that there's three more of us out here in the sun; nah, we're part of the fever dream too. Just go with it."

The door slowly opened as Odette peered back at Cyrus and then each of us individually. Adjusting her glasses and clearing her throat, she stood up properly with a smile.

"So it really is you…"

"So it is," Cyrus chuckled. "I trust I didn't arrive at a bad time?"

"I was expecting you a few days ago," she admitted, moving aside and letting the four of us inside.

Cyrus and Odette sat across from each other at a small table as the rest of us stood off to the side, feeling awkward.

"My apologies, Odette," Cyrus sighed, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I fell into a bit of trouble along the way, but I'm present now."

Odette looked at the rest of us oddly. "... I see. Are these your students?"

"Actually, I'm afraid I'm on unofficial leave from the Academy at the moment…"

"You were fired?!" the blonde scholar exclaimed, her eyes big like saucers. "But… how?"

"Oh yeah," I butted in. "Didn't that Orlick guy mention that you were sleeping with the princess or something?"

Odette promptly fell into hysterics as a blushing Cyrus glared at me, almost as if he was about to cast Fireball on me with his eyes. Ophilia looked between the two of us with a dropped jaw as Primrose merely giggled in response.

"Therion, I am appalled!" Cyrus admonished with a red face. "Not once did I  _ever_ engage in any such behavior with any of my students, and that is something that will never change! A student of mine merely started a rumor that got out of hand, and that is all."

"Oh my goodness," Odette laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "I always knew that you were quite the charmer, but… Professor  _Albright…_ "

"That's quite enough," Cyrus said sternly. "To summarize, I ended up joining a group of travelers in the hopes of locating a missing book from the library's archives."

This made Odette become serious. "Oh? And what book, pray tell, is that?"

" _From the Far Reaches of Hell_ , if memory serves."

"... Oh, dear," she whispered.

"What?" Cyrus asked, his eyes widening in fear and concern. "Odette, what is it?"

"There have been certain… rumors, as of late," she explained, wringing her hands. "This could be just a coincidence - "

"Unlikely."

"Therion!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"... but I have reason to believe that the book you seek is tied to the missing cases that have popped up this past week," Odette finished, looking around her house sadly.

"... Missing cases?" Cyrus repeated, eyeing his friend curiously. "As in… missing persons?"

"Precisely," Odette nodded. "Several people have disappeared as of late, possibly as many as ten. Some were rumored to have been right outside the inn in broad daylight when they just… vanished. As you can imagine, the townsfolk are becoming more and more uneasy, sleeping with one eye open... or sometimes forgoing sleep altogether out of fear."

"Goodness," Ophilia gasped. "How dreadful…"

"Indeed," Cyrus agreed, bowing his head in silence for a moment before continuing. "I don't suppose you know a good place to start my investigation?"

Odette hummed for a moment, thinking. "If memory serves, the entrance to the city sewers should be relatively close to the inn, which was the last known location of several people…"

"I had really hoped I was done with the whole sewer crawling business," the scholar sighed, standing up. "Regardless, it would be most remiss of me to just leave potential victims to their fate, and so I shall go to the sewers and bring them home!"

"Likewise," Ophilia smiled.

"Not a fan of sewers either, but you have my support as well, Cyrus," Primrose asserted.

"Man, this sounds  _way_ more interesting than helping Tressa set up shop," I spoke up at last. "Sign me the hell up."

Cyrus turned to each of us with a grateful smile and bright eyes. "My friends… thank you."

"Well, looks like that's settled," Odette chuckled, walking us to the door. "While you're out playing hero, I'll see what I can do about tracking down that book. Sound fair?"

"We're putting our lives on the line here, lady. Doesn't really strike me as a fair trade…"

"Since when do thieves care about fairness?" Primrose chortled.

"... Shut up, Primrose."

* * *

"Ewwww," Tressa groaned, frowning in disgust as Cyrus explained what we had learned from Odette. "Do you guys  _really_ have to go into those dank, dirty sewers? Do you  _know_ what ends up in there?"

"It's repulsive, to be sure," Cyrus agreed with a wrinkled nose, "but I simply must discover the whereabouts of the missing Quarrycrest citizens! There's no telling who or what has been snatching them up, and it doesn't appear that anyone else in this town is willing to find out."

It was evening when the lot of us had decided to meet up at our usual table in the tavern, stocking up on food and (sadly non-alcoholic) drink before we set out. Honestly, I was starting to get used to this place; the alcohol was trash, to be sure, but it was cheap and effective. If the little brat drank at all, she'd probably see the value in it…

"Hm. It sounds like we've a powerful adversary down there," Primrose mused quietly, examining her dagger carefully. With a smile, she continued, "When do we leave, Professor?"

Cyrus seemed to perk up at the idea momentarily before recomposing himself. "Primrose, are you certain about this? There's simply no manner of telling just what manner of unkindness we'll find down there..."

"In times of danger," Olberic cut in, standing from his seat, "there is strength in numbers. And we, my friend, are no stranger to danger."

"... Very well," Cyrus agreed quietly, a small smile on his face. "Then the three of us shall - "

"Woah, now," Alfyn butted in, "surely ya mean eight?"

H'aanit shook her head sadly, looking down at her feet to a curled up Linde. "I am afraide I cannot lendth mine aide this time. Linde is not feelen well, and so I must watcheth her until she recovers."

"Aww," Alfyn sighed, kneeling down and petting the overgrown cat. "What's the matter, kitty cat? Drink some bad milk again?"

"Can you healen her, Alfyn?"

"Well, my patients usually only have two legs as opposed to four, but I suppose I could give her a look," Alfyn chuckled, giving the huntress a good-natured smile as she smiled back. "Kinda means I'd have to sit this one out too, though. Sorry, Professor…"

Ophilia giggled, shaking her head. "Not to worry, Alfyn. I do believe my healing will suffice while you and H'aanit look over Linde."

"That's our Phili!" Tressa cheered. "Always picking up the slack for ya!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

I chuckled to myself quietly, secretly hoping that I could just fade into the background and not be noticed at all. It's just… why the  _sewers_ , of all places? There couldn't be anything worth nabbing there… not to mention the smell and grime. Ugh.

Maybe I could creep away before -

"Therion!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I do believe that your presence would be most appreciated for this advent."

"What? Why?"

"Well," he began, "a thief such as yourself must have  _some_ experience venturing through such squalor, no? Surely your expertise could prove useful once again!"

"What the hell?" I barked. "I'm a thief, not a dumpster diver!"

"What's the matter?" Tressa giggled annoyingly. "I thought you were used to getting your hands dirty!"

"... Screw you."

"Then it's settled," Cyrus stated, standing from his seat as the others did the same. "H'aanit and Alfyn will stay at the inn to look after Linde, and the rest of us shall depart for the sewer immediately!"

With that, our group finished up dinner and left a handsome pile of leaves for the meal. From there, we each took a few minutes at the inn to prepare for battle, Tressa still griping about how bad the sewers would smell but still coming along anyway.

What a kid.

* * *

The sewers themselves were mostly unimpressive, but man did they smell like shit. From our entrance spot, we could see various monsters roaming the area in the distance; walking skeletons, floating energy… things… slugs, bats.

You know, the usual.

"What do you make of this, Therion?" Cyrus asked as I kneeled to the ground, inspecting some muddy footprints left behind.

"Fresh mud, by the looks of it," I replied curtly, pinching some between my index finger and thumb for good measure. "Someone's definitely been through here recently."

"Y-you guys," Tressa shakily called from a few feet away. Looking over, I could see that she was pointing a trembling finger at something on the ground. Something… red?

"What? What is it, lass?" Olberic asked as the rest of us walked over.

Everyone's expression soon matched Tressa's as we came across what looked to be bloody handprints and footprints. One of the handprints in particular looked as though it had been dragged across the ground away from our position, trailing further away into the depths of the sewers…

Ophilia gasped with both hands over her mouth, horror written all over her face. "Oh… oh my goodness…"

"Are… are you alright, Tressa?" Primrose questioned the younger girl gently, a hand on her back. "You look unwell…"

Tressa merely shook her head in response, trying to make her face look as normal and chipper as possible in spite of the sight before her. "N-nope! I'm fine, Primmy, really!"

"Lass, we're still at the entrance," Olberic pointed out, giving her a concerned look along with the others. "If you wish to leave, you are more than welcome to. I fear that what we see here only scratches the surface of what is to come…"

"N-No!" Tressa protested with clenched fists. "I'm the leader, remember? I can't afford to let the rest of you down! I have to set a good example!"

"Tch. We can handle ourselves, kiddo. I'd be more worried about you."

"Look," Tressa said firmly, "we don't have time to argue. Those kidnapped citizens need us!"

"... Well, if you insist," Ophilia sighed, standing on Tressa's left hand side. "Just… stay close to me, okay, Tressa? Should the worst befall us, my holy light shall see us through."

"And my blade shall be your shield," Olberic nodded, standing at the merchant's right. "You need only point me in the right direction."

"Heh… th-thanks, guys…"

* * *

A few random encounters later and we finally made it to a final chamber within the sewers. How and why someone would even make such a room in a sewer system of all places beat me, but...

When we finally entered the room, everyone was shocked at what we found. A large, red circle with strange symbols was sitting in the middle of the room not far from where we were. Two crimson crystals were placed in the middle of the circle, and they seemed to glow with an almost unholy mixture of various reds. A few more of these crystals were in the back of of the room, surrounding a glowing statue of some sort.

Worst of all were three wooden slabs with metal shackles on them resting in the very back of the room. Several containers sat by them, some dripping red fluid onto the ground. What appeared to be a human had fallen off of one of the slabs, hitting the ground with a thud.

"By the gods!" Ophilia exclaimed as she and Cyrus ran over to examine the body, the rest of us close behind. Primrose stood near the entrance of the chamber, covering Tressa's eyes. "Are you alright, sir?!"

The blonde priestess thrusted her staff forward and let the light pour out of it and into the body… but there was no response.

"Dead," I groaned, pinching my nose and frowning. "Damnit…"

"Ophilia, look!" Cyrus pointed out. The rest of us walked forward to see two small puncture wounds on the man's neck, his body as pale as the moon. "These wounds… Tiny as they might be, it's as if all of his blood was drained from him… oh, gods..."

"What?" Tressa cried, still blinded by Primrose's dainty hands. "What's going on here?!"

"That's what I would like to know," Olberic sternly remarked, looking around the room warily with fire in his eyes. "Who's responsible for this atrocity?! Show yourself!"

I looked back at the red circle in the middle of the room, walking over and kneeling to get a better look at the crystals. They were almost beautiful in a way, and yet they reeked of iron…

"Cyrus," I called urgently, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. "Th-these gems here…"

Upon walking over and getting a better look, Cyrus came to the same conclusion I did. Kneeling down, his eyes widened. "... No… it couldn't possibly be! This myriad of various reds... the metallic smell... if I am correct, these are composed of crystallized human blood!"

"Oh,  _gods_ ," Primrose moaned, resisting the urge to vomit. As she did so, Tressa managed to wrestle her way out of the dancer's grasp. "Tressa, no!"

It was far too late for her.

"What… what is all this stuff?" Tressa croaked as she took in her surroundings. The torture boards. The drained body. The blood crystals…

Tressa's legs began to tremble for a few moments before they finally gave out, the merchant girl hitting the ground with a thud.

"Tressa!" Ophilia and Primrose cried as the cleric rushed over to her side.

The rest of us looked on in concern as Ophilia attempted to work her magic on the young girl, Tressa still lying unconscious.

"Therion, Olberic," Cyrus said, "look at these strange red glyphs here."

Olberic walked over, his eyebrows raising in genuine shock as he noticed the symbols. "Yes, I know these… I know them all too well. These ancient glyphs are of Hornburg!"

"Precisely. Runes of Hornburg," Cyrus uttered, turning his attention to the gemstones. "See here, chaps... Do you see how they appear more red than others in certain areas?"

"Y-yeah, so?" I snorted, trying to shake off the chills running down my spine. I could never tell them that this kinda thing absolutely horrified me. "So what, egghead?"

"... Do you suppose that each gem contains the blood of multiple different victims?" he inquired, his hands shaking and his eyes wide. "Good gods above, what horrible sorcery is this?! This… blood magic… it sickens me to my very core!"

"This is no ordinary kidnapper," Cyrus continued as he stroked his chin with a furrowed brow. "This must be the work of a demon… Yes, I'm sure of it! These horrors are beyond the scope of humanity! A demon walks among us!"

"... Then we must send it back to Hell where it belongs," Olberic concluded, taking a defensive stance as Ophilia and Primrose watched over Tressa.

"Quite right my friend," the scholar nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something twitch. Grabbing Cyrus and pointing towards the back of the room, I spotted a cell with multiple bodies in it. One of them groaned quietly, extending an arm forward weakly.

"Could it be…? A living victim?!" Cyrus cried, rushing forward and desperately attempting to pry the rusted door open. "Be still, my dear! My friends and I shall get you out of here at once!"

Suddenly, I felt something dark and unpleasant come over me. It knocked and gnawed at my senses, making me feel sluggish and disoriented. Apparently I wasn't the only one, as everyone else writhed and recoiled similarly, even the still-unconscious Tressa.

"The hell is this…?"

"Oh, my. What do we have here?"

Turning, we could see a pale man in black robes standing in the doorway, smirking. He held a bloody scythe of sorts in his left hand, and his eyes seemed to glow a hideous red color. "Some unwelcome guests?"

"Tell me," Cyrus demanded, clenching his fists as he stared the villain down with grit teeth. "How many innocent lives have you consumed to fulfill your sick curiosity!?"

"Mm... not enough, methinks," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

Cyrus was taken aback by his complete lack of remorse, and Olberic drew his blade immediately with a war cry. " _Monster!_ "

"Ah, and I see you've brought a whole ensemble with you to admire my work," the sick bastard noted. "Splendid."

"Your  _work_? Your  _WORK_?!" Primrose screamed, shaking off the pain as she rose to her feet. "These were  _people_  with lives and families! Yet you would reduce them to mere objects for you to poke and prod at until they're dead?! You're horrible! You're simply disgusting! What kind of man are you?!"

"... The kind that does not tolerate interruptions." the blood sorcerer shot back, grinning. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned several skeletons from the ground, each carrying no weapons but looking fairly intimidating regardless. "Go, go! Have at them!"

"Holy shit," I muttered under my breath as Olberic charged head on into the enemy. He hacked and slashed away at the shambling bones around him, sending femurs and the like flying.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as a skull whizzed past me, almost nailing me in the head. The skeleton it belonged to charged forward and raked at me with its bony arms. I managed to block two hits with my sword only to be hit in the side by the third one, the dark curse returning to my body and blurring my vision.

"Grr… damnit!" I growled, swinging my weapon around wildly. "Come back here, you coward!"

"Ophilia!" I heard Cyrus cry as the sound of fire magic blazed through the air. "We need you!"

"O-of course! O Sacred Flame, light the way!"

A bright flash of light was all it took to restore my vision, and it injured the skeletons at the same time. The vampiric sorcerer merely stood behind his bony henchmen, folding his arms with a vile grin.  _God_ how I hated that smirk...

"It's going to take more than measly holy magic to save you now! No one escapes the grasp of Gideon!"

"Oh, good, he finally has a name," I snarked bitterly, dodging another skeletal attack.

For such a relatively small room, things had definitely taken a turn for the hectic. Gideon, as thin and sickly as he was, was nigh-untouchable as Olberic found out the hard way. The bulky warrior swung wildly and without finesse, but Gideon's dark arts combined with the skeletons around him seemed to make him almost impossible to properly hit. Meanwhile, the sorcerer had managed to get several scrapes in with his scythe, sending Olberic backwards quite a bit.

"Ophilia! Primrose! Go assist our friend, if you please!" Cyrus ordered over the sound of battle. Without another word, the unlikely duo sprinted towards the still-fighting Olberic with healing and dark magic at the ready. Preparing another fire spell, he looked me straight in the eye and said, "Therion, I need you to guard Tressa for the time being."

"What?! I can still fight!"

"Therion," he chuckled darkly. "I can assure you that things are about to get  _very_ hot…"

The expanding fiery orb on his staff was enough to change my mind, and I hurried over to Tressa's side as Cyrus's tome flew open. The pages seemed to be burning up themselves as Cyrus held both objects over his head.

"Professor?!" Primrose yelled as she barely evaded a deadly executioner swing. "What are you - "

"Move, my friends! Move, I say!" the scholar shouted back over the roaring flames above his head. Once Olberic had been healed and the three of them had retreated closer to my position, Cyrus turned his attention back to Gideon and his skeletal minions. "Now the  _true_ lesson begins!"

"Just try it!" Gideon challenged as he summoned more skeletons to protect himself. "See what good it does!"

Sure enough, Cyrus pointed his staff towards the enemies and sent a large blast of flames their way, utterly coating them in fire as he pressed on. Though he kept at it, I could tell that his magic couldn't last forever.

"Ophilia!" Primrose shouted. "Use your Luminence on the count of three!"

"What? But I've never - "

"One!"

"Primrose!"

"Two!"

"I… okay!"

"Three!" the dancer cried, thrusting both her hands forward and unleashing a dark wave of magic. "Night Ode, bring your shade!"

"Aelfric, save us!" Ophilia yelled as her light magic came down from the heavens, mixing with the dark magic and forming a golden-purple swirl of magical power.

My jaw dropped as the attack flew its way over to Gideon, who was now completely covered in skeletons as a means of shielding himself. The force of the combined magical attack along with Cyrus's was too much to take, and the resulting explosion ended up knocking everyone backwards, even the mighty Olberic himself. Instinctively, I felt myself throw my body over Tressa's unconscious body to shield her from the force of the attack.

"Urk." Cyrus coughed, wiping some of the dust away with the remains of his fire tome. As he did so, it caught part of his coat on fire and he desperately patted down the flames with an icy hand. "Is… is everyone alright?"

"Y-yes," Ophilia nodded as she lifted her staff into the air and twirled it above her head, blowing away more of the dust and healing us at the same time. Turning her head in my direction, her eyes widened and she cried, "Therion! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Wha - ?!"

Oh,  _gods_. It was then that I realized that, in my haste to save the brat from potentially getting hurt, I had made things  _extremely_ awkward for myself. I jumped off of her and onto my feet, trying to brush off both the dust and the incredible embarrassment I had felt. I saw Olberic glare daggers at me from afar as the others gave each other confused looks.

"Uh, hey!" I blurted, pointing behind everyone. "What's that?"

"Oh, no, you are  _not_ getting out of this one that easily," Primrose said with an unladylike snort, shaking her head.

Though I appreciated a good opening for a diversion more than anyone else, I wasn't lying. The place where Gideon was standing had become little more than a large pile of bones, charred and fractured. Cyrus cautiously approached the pile, Olberic not far behind him. The scholar eyed the bones strangely for a moment before turning back to us with a handsome smile and a thumbs-up.

"The day is won, my friends!" he cheered. "Now then, let's go rescue the other prisoners - "

"Professor, no!" Olberic bellowed with frightful eyes, charging towards him. "Behind you!"

In a flash, a bloody and singed Gideon had leapt from the bones and aimed a harsh swipe right at Cyrus's head. The black-haired scholar was frozen in fear, shutting his eyes as he awaited his fate.

But the blow never reached him.

Sure enough, Olberic had made it just in time for the hellish blade to pierce his left shoulder instead. The battle-hardened warrior let out a guttural growl at the impact, almost as if the blade had penetrated him to the bone. Even so, he refused to fall.

"Ngh… what?!" Gideon panicked, pulling his now-bent scythe back out of Olberic's shoulder and looking at it closely. "What the hell…!?"

"Unlike your paltry blade," Olberic rumbled, brandishing his sword with his right arm as his other shoulder continued to bleed, "I am unbending! Now face me, villain!"

"Olberic!" Cyrus and Ophilia gasped, the latter casting a healing spell on Olberic.

"Pah!" Gideon spat, backing away. "I'm not done yet! Far from it! You'll weep bloody tears before I'm through with you!"

"And when you're all drained and disposed of," he continued, looking over at Tressa who was still asleep at my feet. "Perhaps I'll keep the youngest one as a souvenir!"

"You shall  _not_ lay a single finger on her!" Olberic roared protectively. He left several gashes in Gideon's torso, bringing his blade down harder with each swing. "Now die, monster! You don't belong in this world!"

"Argh!" Gideon cried as he was knocked off of his feet, desperately scrambling backwards and nearly slipping on his own blood. "M-mercy! Mercy! "

"Hold a moment, Olberic," Cyrus said grimly. "I believe I have a few questions for this disgusting creature before we cast him into the Void."

Kneeling down at the bloodied man, he asked, "What could have possibly compelled you to do such…  _horrendous_ things? I confess, the dark arts interest me greatly, but I would never do something as disgusting and horrific as this!"

Gideon chuckled darkly, coughing up some blood in between bouts of laughter. "Well, wouldn't you like to know?"

"Obviously. That's why he asked," I said with folded arms. "Dumbass."

"Fufufu… no matter," Gideon rasped as the light began to leave his eyes. "They will teach you the error of your ways yet…"

At this, Cyrus became even more wide-eyed and demanding. Grabbing Gideon's dying form by his collar, he barked, "Whom do you refer to, exactly? And don't for even a minute believe that you can pull that whole 'Pronoun Game' nonsense on me. I simply won't have it! Now, out with it, you wretched amalgamation of unholy refuse!"

"Your enemies are… closer than you think… hehehe… urp…"

He went limp in Cyrus's hands, and I threw up my arms in frustration. "Aaaand he's dead before he could give up important information. Great."

"Damn it all!" Cyrus snapped, pounding his fist harshly on the deceased man's chest. Remembering that he was in the presence of company, he stood up and brushed his robes off before straightening the white thing on the front of his shirt. "Ahem… I do apologize for my vulgarity, friends."

"All is well, Professor Albright," Olberic smiled. "Now let us free the rest of the captives from this nightmarish lair. I am sure Alfyn will be in no shortage of patients tonight…"

"Urgh," Tressa moaned, starting to stir. Sitting up and rubbing the back of her head with a pained groan, she nearly began to look around the room before Primrose ran up to her and blindfolded the poor merchant with a fancy strip of cloth resembling her garb. "H-hey, who the - ?! "

"Shh," Primrose cooed, almost whispering. "It's Prim, Tressa. Just take my hand, I'll lead you out of here."

"But... why am I blindfolded?"

"There are some things that children should  _never_ , under any circumstances, be exposed to…"

"What the heck?! I'm not a kid, you know!"

The two continued to squabble as the dancer led Tressa out of the dungeon, Olberic and Ophilia following them out after the former busted the cell door open and the latter healed Gideon's surviving victims to the best of her ability. They had lost a lot of blood, but they would definitely live if Alfyn had anything to say about it.

Cyrus, meanwhile, knelt over the dead sorcerer, patting down his body as if looking for something specific.

"Ohoho," I laughed, trying to forget what I'd seen earlier. "Now  _this_  is something I thought I'd never see. Cyrus Albright, esteemed professor, looting a dead man. My, how the tables have turned."

"You're hardly one to talk, I'm afraid," Cyrus shot back without even looking at me. "I'd honestly have thought that you would have pickpocketed Gideon in the confusion of it all."

"Yeah," I muttered, scratching my chin, "probably should have done that to begin with, but…"

"Hm… aha!" Cyrus cheered, pulling what looked like a fairly worn book out of Gideon's pocket. As he observed it more closely, however, his face fell. "What's this here? … Oh, dear."

"Let me guess; it's relevant to the plot of your story."

"Indeed, young Therion. Why, this book here is none other than a copy of  _From the Far Reaches of Hell_ , the precise book I happen to be looking for!"

"Called it."

"... Oh, bother. This simply won't do at all. This is a more modern, abridged version of the book. I need the original text!"

"But… why?" I asked. "Who cares about some dusty old book?"

" _I_ care, thank you very much!" Cyrus huffed, holding the copy close to him.

"Hey!" Olberic called from over his shoulder. "We're moving out now, you two. Stay close!"

Without another word, the two of us began to follow the rest of the party out of the room and back into the main sewer system. Though he had the book in his grasp, I couldn't help but notice Cyrus wistfully look back at the bloodied chamber several times, almost as if he wanted to go back and grab the blood crystals…

I shuddered at the thought. Nabbing jewels is one thing; nabbing jewels that were technically originally inside of someone, though… Gross.

Regardless, everyone made it out of the sewers and the victims were brought to the nearby inn, where Alfyn was ready with his medical expertise.

* * *

"Cheese and rice," Alfyn sighed as he rubbed some healing balm into Olberic's bare shoulder before wrapping it in gauze. As he did so, Ophilia used more of her magic to help speed up the healing process, averting her eyes respectfully. "You guys really went all out today, didn't ya?"

"You're telling me," Primrose sighed as she laid back on a nearby bed with her eyes closed and her hands behind her head. "Though it was mostly Professor Albright and Olberic who did all the heavy lifting on this one. You guys made us look useless in comparison."

"I'd hardly call either of you useless, Primrose," Cyrus smiled as he laid down a book he was reading. "If not for the timely action of both you and Ophilia, Gideon might not have gone down nearly as quickly! To say nothing of our heroic knight here saving my life."

"Never mind me," Olberic shook his head, though the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "How fares Linde and the villagers?"

H'aanit, who was petting her purring companion, sighed in response. "Seems Linde simply hadeth a case of the runneths."

"Oh, gross," I gagged. "Little too much info there, H'aanit."

"Those poor townsfolk, though… gods have mercy," Alfyn crooned, staring wistfully at the inn floor. "They were so pale, and… and  _dry_ , ya know? Yeah… that's real messed up, alright. I'm glad you guys managed to save some of 'em after all."

Everyone voiced their agreement before looking at a sleeping Tressa who tossed and turned in her slumber.

"... Do you think she'll remember any of it?" Ophilia asked after a long, almost mournful silence. "I did the best I could, but..."

Olberic hummed for a moment before giving his input. "I truly wish she didn't have to witness such a hellish sight, but even if she  _does_ recall tonight's events... perhaps it is for the best that it happened now and not further down the road."

"I think we should all get some sleep," I spoke up, turning over in my bed. "I'm sure Odette will be expecting us in the morning now that Professor Egghead has cracked the case."

"I'm sure the Mayor himself shall be most pleased as well," Cyrus laughed in an almost strained voice. "Well... good night, everyone. And thank you all again for your assistance."

"Think nothing of it, Professor. Night!"

"Good night."

"Nighty night!"

"G'night, you guys."

"Rest well, my friends."

"Yeah, yeah... shut up already. I'm trying to sleep here."

The room grew dark as everyone finally returned to their beds for the night. I'll admit that, while my bed was still rough and kinda smelly, at least it was  _a_ bed. Most nights I didn't even have that much.

I turned onto my back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to block out the events of the night. That sick bastard, Gideon... and the smell, that  _awful_ metallic smell reminded me all too much of that fateful day. It was almost hard to believe that there were people out there whose cruelty truly knew no bounds, and yet...

"Ugh," I groaned as sleep finally began to take its familiar hold on me.

I was  _definitely_ starting tomorrow off with a drink.


	9. The Mourning After

The breakfast table was mostly quiet, someone only occasionally breaking the silence to ask someone else to pass a condiment. Fine by me; no amount of sleep could undo the horrors of yesterday.

Currently, there were only six of us (and a very hungry snow leopard) at the inn table. Cyrus had gone ahead of everyone else to report his findings to Odette and Tressa was still getting ready for the day.

I sipped my drink in silence as I shut my eyes, partially enjoying the harsh burn it sent down my throat.

"You know, it's not really a good idea to start off the day with alcohol," Alfyn said softly, chuckling as he eyed me. "I mean, I like ale as much as the next guy, but…"

"... Hmph."

"How do you think she's taking it?" Ophilia asked us as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "... Tressa, I mean."

"If what thine hast told me is true," H'aanit said, "I coulde only guessen that our young merchant friend is in deep pain."

"Tch," I scoffed before taking another sip of my drink. "When do we leave this dinky town behind? The sooner, the better."

Primrose drummed her fingers on the table absentmindedly for a moment before responding. "I'm honestly ready whenever Tressa and Cyrus are. I think I've seen enough mines and sweaty men to last a lifetime…"

Everyone voiced their agreement as Tressa finally walked into the dining section of the inn, her face lighting up among seeing us.

"Hey, good morning everyone!" she greeted in her usual cheery tone. "Sleep well?"

"Not as well as you, apparently," I scoffed. "What's got you in such a good mood? Forget all about Gideon's House of Horrors already?"

"Watch yourself, thief," Olberic warned with a steely gaze. Turning to Tressa with a softened expression, he questioned, "Are you sure you're quite alright, Tressa? Braving that lair was no easy feat."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tressa asked back, tilting her head and frowning. "I'm fine, really! Now hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can meet Cyrus outside. Time waits for no one!"

Alfyn paused, looking at her strangely before lifting up a fruit bowl. "But… ain'tcha hungry? Look, we even saved you some grapes and plums! No eggs, though; you know how the Mayor feels about that."

"Real sweet of you," Tressa replied with a giggle, making the apothecary blush. "But I'm really not feeling up to it right now, Alfie. Thanks, though!"

"Uh, okay then," he answered awkwardly before setting the bowl back down.

The rest of us continued to eat breakfast in silence as Tressa kicked back in an empty chair and started looking at a map of Orsterra.

"Let's see… if I'm seeing this correctly, it looks like Saintsbridge is the closest relevant town!" she chirped, turning to face our resident cleric with bright green eyes. "That means it's your turn to shine, Ophilia!"

Ophilia smiled in response. "Wonderful! The Kindling can't wait forever, after all. I do hope the road there is safe…"

"If it is not, I shall make it so," Olberic asserted after downing the rest of his drink.

"Easy there, buddy," Alfyn cautioned. "We may have patched up your shoulder to the best of our ability, but that blade went in pretty deep. The soreness probably won't fade for a couple of days."

Olberic flexed his left arm for a moment before a pained expression overtook his face. "Hm… you are right. Thank you, Alfyn. I won't let your and Ophilia's hard work go to waste."

A few minutes had passed before everyone was finally done eating, some heading back into our room to make sure they didn't forget anything. Traveling light, per usual, I was all set to leave this place behind and decided to wait for the others right outside the establishment.

"Ah, Therion! Good morning," Cyrus greeted cheerfully, though he looked to be out of breath for some reason. Maybe from years of reading instead of exercising…

"Hey," came the nonchalant reply. "So, how'd things go with your girlfriend?"

"M-my what?!" he stammered, his nose turning pink. "I have no such friend of the female gender!"

"That's hurtful, Professor," Primrose criticized as she and the others gathered near us, having finished packing up and paying the lodging fee.

"Ah! W-well, all I meant by that was - "

Primrose held out her hand with a smirk. "Save it, I'm only teasing."

"Hmph. Well, my friends," Cyrus said, holding up his copy of  _From the Gates of Hell_ , "this is not the copy I am searching for. The book's binding, however, seems incredibly particular with regards to…"

The professor went on for quite some time, Tressa nearly falling asleep as the rest of us sans Ophilia tried to feign interest.

"... Therefore, I surmise that my next point of interest is none other than the city of Stonegard in the far eastern portion of Orsterra," Cyrus finished, not noticing how most of us had zoned out by that point. "Any questions?"

Silence.

"Well, alright then… Have we all decided on our next destination as a team, then?"

"Saintsbridge is pretty close," Alfyn suggested with a yawn. "We can help Phili do her Kindling ceremony there!"

"Wonderful! If there's nothing more to see or do here, I do believe we'd best be on our way. Come along, friends!"

As we started to walk towards the outskirts of Quarrycrest, we were interrupted by a womanly voice.

"Cyrus, wait!"

Sure enough, the voice belonged to none other than Professor Albright's esteemed colleague, Odette. The blonde researcher made her way down the path until she had finally caught up with us.

Cyrus grinned charmingly, though I really doubt he knew just  _how_ charmingly. "Well, this is certainly a delightful surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure, Odette? Come to see us off?"

The blonde woman shook her head, a stern look on her face. "Cyrus… do you really intend to continue this path?"

"You know me all too well, my dear. I could never pass up such an opportunity to expand my knowledge and assist the Academy at the same time!" he declared passionately. Sighing, he added, "Although I am quite sad to leave you so soon after our reunion… has it really been some ten years already?"

"I'm afraid it has," Odette chuckled softly, her eyes traveling up and down Cyrus's form. I could see everyone else growing slightly uncomfortable as Cyrus remained blissfully unaware. "... Be careful, Cyrus."

"Odette, I can assure you that I am in quite capable hands," the scholar laughed.

"No, that's not quite what I mean," the blonde shook her head, pausing to adjust her glasses. "What I mean is… ugh, why must you be so oblivious to your effect on women?!"

"My what?"

My hand met my forehead in an instant. Was the supposedly intelligent and prestigious Professor Albright of Atlasdam really  _this_ clueless?

"I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by that, Odette…"

Odette grabbed Cyrus by his cloak and stared deeply into his eyes. "Then perhaps you'll understand this."

Not wasting another moment, the blonde scholar held him closer and pressed her lips to his, getting some irritating "oohhh" sounds from Tressa and Alfyn in the process as the rest of us looked either confused or uncomfortable… or both. Primrose merely folded her arms and rolled her eyes in response.

A few seconds passed before Odette broke the kiss as quickly as she initiated it, her entire face red as she panted slightly. I rubbed my arm unconsciously and looked away, almost  _praying_ that Cyrus would just take the hint so we could leave this town behind and forget all of this lunacy. Mercifully, Odette spun on her heel and walked away without another word, leaving Cyrus touching his lips with his right hand.

"... Do you suppose Odette has feelings for me?"

Everyone groaned and began walking out of the town, grumbling and leaving a hopeless Cyrus behind.

"What? I'm genuinely curious!"

* * *

Night had nearly fallen on the Riverlands as our strange group decided to finally stop and set up camp. The skies were darkening, and so Alfyn and Tressa chose to help Olberic pitch tents as H'aanit and I gathered firewood with Ophilia.

"Huff… puff… whew," Ophilia sighed as she set a log down by the campsite, stopping to wipe her brow. "I'm really not built for such manual labor…"

Honestly, I wasn't faring much better. It's not like I had  _no_ muscle whatsoever, but… why couldn't one of the big guys have done this instead? How much muscle did it take to pitch a damn tent?

"There ist no shame in it, Ophilia. Leaven the heavy lifting to me," H'aanit offered politely, holding a log in each arm.

H'aanit was probably the second or third-strongest person in the group after Olberic and  _maybe_ Alfyn, though I doubt the apothecary could beat her in an arm wrestling match. Made sense; being a huntress by trade probably demanded a lot of physical exercise. I guess those biceps weren't just for show -

"Oh! But… you're so busy already, I…"

The huntress chuckled and shook her head in response, her braid swaying. "Thinken nothing of it. T'would not do to reject a friend in neede."

"Hmph… friends, huh…"

"Therion?" Ophilia uttered.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I realized what I had just said. "I-I didn't say anything…"

"I saw thine lips move and sound had comen out, Therion," H'aanit argued, setting down another log on the ground before she grabbing her axe. "Doth that not count as speech?"

"Shut up!"

Primrose, who was practicing some dance moves not too far away, let out a graceful laugh. "I guess you're not as solitary as you want us to believe, Therion. There's nothing wrong with craving companionship."

"I give up," I sighed, plopping down on a nearby log. "Think what you want."

The group continued to chat amongst themselves even as H'aanit kept bringing her axe down, chopping several logs evenly down the middle. Once that was done, Cyrus and Primrose brought them over to a fire pit in the middle of the campsite and set them ablaze with fire magic.

"Perfect," Olberic complimented with a smile. Reaching into his bag and pulling something vaguely meat-like in appearance, he asked everyone, "And what would an open flame be without a hearty meal?"

My stomach grumbled involuntarily, barely audible over the flames.

"Wow, Olberic!" Tressa cheered as the swordsman carved up the meat with a dagger and impaled it on several sticks. "Where'd you find all this grub?"

"You have our mighty huntress to thank for that," Olberic nodded at her, passing everyone a stick, saving me for last. "H'aanit has already seasoned the meat. All we need do now is hold it over the flames and let it cook to perfection."

Alfyn whistled as he carefully rotated his meat slab over the campfire, almost drooling "This here steak sure smells mighty tasty… you guys know how to throw one hell of a barbecue!"

H'aanit chuckled quietly. "I believen the expression is… 'diggeth in'?"

"Close enough," I said, shrugging.

The other travelers kept talking throughout the entire meal as I chowed down in silence. The meat was smoked with a hint of salt; definitely one of the tastier things I had eaten in a while. I couldn't even figure out what animal it belonged to, but I guess it didn't matter.

"Rawr!"

"Linde, no," H'aanit scolded her pet sharply. "Thou hast already eaten plenty during the trip!"

Everyone shared a laugh before Tressa stood up from her seat, brushing off her skirt before stretching. "Man, I'm beat! Time for me to hit the hay. Good night, everyone!"

"Good night!" came the reply in six different voices.

"... Night," I said with a shrug, looking around at the campsite.

Weirdly enough, there had only been four tents pitched and Tressa was already on her way to occupying one of them.

"Phili! Wanna share this one tonight?"

Ophilia nodded gracefully with an innocent grin. "Of course."

"Alright!" Alfyn cheered, arm around my shoulder. "I guess that means you and I are bunk buddies, Fluffy!"

I nearly did a double-take. "What?! I didn't agree to any of this!"

The apothecary chuckled heartily before responding. "Hey, somebody's gotta keep an eye on you tonight. Cyrus likes to read by lantern late into the night, Olberic thrashes around in his sleep, and the ladies…"

"Point taken," I brushed him off, fighting the rising heat in my cheeks. Getting up from my seat, I said, "Tch… I'm going to bed. Night, all. Thanks for the grub."

"We've a long day ahead of us," Cyrus noted quietly as he examined a leaf carefully. "Get some rest, Therion."

"Hmph. Will do."

* * *

" _Hey, Therion."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _What got you thrown in the gaol that day?"_

" _Got caught stealing a loaf of bread."_

" _Get outta here, mate! They threw your scrawny little self in there for that?!"_

" _Hey, at least they didn't cut my hands off."_

" _Haha! Ya got me there… a thief's most useful tools are his hands. Remember that and you'll go far in this life, kiddo."_

" _I know that! And besides, you're not even that much older than me!"_

" _Haha…"_

" _... Hey, Darius?"_

" _Wuzzat?"_

" _... We're always gonna be friends, right?"_

" _Therion, my boy… you worry too much."_

* * *

It was still dark out when my eyes opened. I could tell because of the crickets chirping just outside of my tent.

Suddenly, I heard a loud snore not too far away from my cot.

'Oh, right.  _Our_ tent.'

I sat up and sighed, head in my hands. That dream… that conversation… those days seemed so close, and yet so far all the same. Darius, that bastard…

"The hell with this. I need some fresh air," I whispered to myself, eyeing the sleeping Alfyn warily. Honestly, I'd be surprised if he didn't wake the whole camp at this rate…

Putting on my cloak and boots, I crept outside of the tent and looked around. The campfire had died down and everyone else seemed fast asleep.

Perfect. Maybe I could find a creek to wash up in before the sun rises…

I made a mental note of where the campsite was before walking down a dirt road, taking in the cool night air and listening to the crickets chirp. I carefully fingered my daggers in my pockets, looking around in the dark warily. The moonlight was bright enough to keep me from stumbling around blind, but Orsterra's wildlife was never too predictable…

At last, I came to a clearing in the forest. The river seemed to sparkle as the moonlight bounced off of it, and the water looked cool to the touch. I would have jumped right in then and there had I not heard a sniffling sound.

"Sniff… ugh… why…"

Panicking, I hid behind a nearby tree and peered in the direction of the noise. Strangely enough, I could see Tressa standing in a yellow nightgown at the edge of the river, wiping her eyes.

"Huh? What's she doing out here so late…?"

I stayed quiet, but continued to watch her suspiciously. I would have fled the scene instantly had she started to undress, but fortunately a second person showed up at the scene instead.

"Tressa?" Ophilia called, catching up with her at the edge of the river bank. "There you are! What are you doing up at this hour?"

Tressa said nothing, but rubbed her arm awkwardly with her head down.

"... Couldn't sleep?" her blonde friend gently prodded with a tilted head.

"Phili…"

Ophilia held out her arms and let Tressa embrace her, wrapping her arms around the younger girl tenderly. For a while, Tressa's sniffling and sobbing were the only sounds that could be heard.

"Shh… it's alright, Tressa… we're here for you…"

"Phili… I'm scared," Tressa cried as she shuddered in the cleric's arms. "A-all those people… all that blood… were we too late…?"

Ophilia sighed mournfully. "We did the best we could, Tressa. What happened in Quarrycrest was a terrible tragedy… but it wasn't all for nothing in the end. At least we managed to save some of the townspeople from that horrible man…"

Tressa sniffed again, breaking the contact to wipe her eyes. "Y-yeah… you're right. But… still…"

Honestly, this was hard to watch even for me. I groaned quietly as I leaned against the tree, pinching the bridge of my nose. Seeing Tressa in such a state felt so wrong… and yet, it almost reminded me of myself a few years ago.

Back when everything took a turn for the worse.

I shook those painful memories out of my head and continued to watch over the two, just to make sure they wouldn't be ambushed. Ophilia held Tressa for a little while longer before offering to take her back to the campsite, something that the merchant seemed to be on board with.

"Phili… please,  _please_  don't tell anyone about this," Tressa pleaded with puffy, reddened eyes. "Not Olberic. Not Primrose. Not Therion. Not anyone! I… I can't have them thinking their leader is as weak as she looks… I have to be strong…!"

"Tressa, you're not weak! You're quite possibly braver than anyone I've ever met!" Ophilia argued in response, taking a firm tone with the younger girl.

"H-huh?"

"It takes a great deal of courage to leave home and venture the world at your age," the cleric explained passionately, "and so what if you feel uncertain or scared from time to time? That's part of being human, and it's completely okay. And when you fall, your friends will be here to pick you back up! That's what companionship is all about, Tressa! So… please don't be afraid to rely on us from time to time, okay?"

Tressa was at a loss for words, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. Nodding slightly, she said at last, "O-okay… thanks, Phili… that really means a lot to me."

The blonde cleric smiled wholeheartedly. "Anytime, Tressa. Anytime."

"Gonna hurl," I mumbled as I started walking away from the scene swiftly and silently. It was good that the brat was feeling better, but… bleh.

I made my way back to the campsite and snuck back into my tent quietly, slinking into my cot and closing my eyes. Alfyn was still snoring, of course, so I probably wouldn't be getting  _that_ much sleep, but some was better than none…

Saintsbridge wasn't far from our location if Tressa's map was correct and, while I didn't much care for the name, I at least reveled in the fact that there'd be another town to potentially line my pockets with.

'Plus,' I said to myself internally, 'the sooner these guys get this stuff out of the way, the sooner I can get those damn dragonstones back. Win-win.'

I smiled to myself as my head was engulfed by the pillow, wrapping myself in my cloak for good measure. There was no telling what hell tomorrow would bring, but at least I could have one more night of rest before then.

"Hrkk… Zeph… zzz…"

Or not.


	10. Salutations, Saintsbridge

After everyone had woken up and packed up all of their belongings, it only took a couple more hours of walking until we reached the gates of Saintsbridge. Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I walked into the city. I dunno, I guess… Knight Ardantes at every corner? Annoying preachers handing out fliers? A city that was a little more… brightly-colored?

The city was bustling with people, but the buildings looked like they had seen better days. Maybe they were just really old…

I'll never forget the others' reactions when we got here, though. Ophilia, Tressa, and Alfyn all lit up at the mere sight of the city as if they had never seen anything like it in their entire lives before. Olberic and Cyrus nodded sagely as they took in their surroundings, H'aanit kept a watchful eye on a sniffing Linde, and Primrose merely chuckled as she knelt down to pet the large cat.

"... Welp." I broke the silence at last. "I've seen enough. Where's the nearest tavern?"

Ophilia gave me a dirty look. "Oh, really, Therion! Can't you see how wonderful this place is? I hear the cathedral among the largest and most pristine in all of Orsterra!"

"I'll readily admit that I too am curious to observe such a structure," Cyrus mused quietly, jotting something down in a small notepad. "Truly amazing how such a magnificent building could stay intact over many a year…"

Alfyn laughed heartily. "Never change, Professor. Never change…"

The travelers continued to walk and talk through the streets of the city until a priestly guy cleared his throat and started walking towards us, offering Ophilia a friendly smile.

"Ah, Priestess, welcome! I am Bishop Bartolo," the priest introduced himself. "I understand it you're the one hailing from Flamesgrace to perform the sacred Kindling? My, but you have a capable-looking entourage!"

"O-oh! Greetings, Your Excellency," Ophilia replied with a kind smile. "You are correct. I am Sister Ophilia of Flamesgrace."

The two continued to make small-talk as the rest of us stood off to the side quietly. Not too far away from us, some kids seemed to be arguing about something moderately less boring.

"You LOST IT?! I can't believe you, Emil!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…!"

This caught the attention of the others, and Ophilia and Bartolo turned their attention to three small boys standing in the town square.

"Great. Kids," I groaned. "My  _second_  least-favorite kind of person."

"Don't you have to be a jerk somewhere else?" Tressa snarked in my direction as we walked over to the little brats in question. Leaning forward slightly, she asked, "Hey, kiddos! What's wrong?"

"Emil lost Derryl's brooch!" one of the kids complained angrily, stomping his foot on the ground and clenching his fist. Upon seeing Primrose, however, he quickly changed his tune. "Oh, uh, hey. Sup."

"Nate, now's not the time," a second kid, presumably Derryl, groaned with his face in his hand. "But he's right. I loan Emil my brooch for two seconds and now it's gone like a swan!"

"I-I said I was sorry!" the third boy, the youngest of the bunch, protested. "Honest! I didn't m-mean to…"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sounds to me like letting him borrow it in the first place was a stupid idea."

"Hey!"

Most of the group glared at me in response.

"... Well, am I wrong?"

Ophilia sighed exasperatedly before bowing to the children in apology. "Please forgive our acquaintance. He can be a bit… moody, shall we say. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Sister, please," Bartolo insisted. "You and your friends have traveled such a long way. Please allow the Knights Ardante to deal with this while you rest up for the day at the cathedral."

"Sounds good to me," I piped up. "Got any good alehouses around here?"

Olberic's face found his hand in an instant. "Truly unbelievable…"

"I appreciate your kindness, Bishop, but I'd rather help the children look for the brooch if possible," Ophilia admitted with an earnest smile. "The rest of you can go on ahead if you'd like, though!"

"Tch," Derryl huffed, turning to walk away with clenched fists. "Whatever. You'd better find that brooch, Emil!"

"Yeah," Nate nodded, folding his arms and trying to look cool in front of our female teammates. "You'd better find it, or else… or else…!"

I rolled my eyes. "What, you're gonna threaten him? In front of all of these responsible adults?"

"..."

Without another word, Nate turned tail and fled after Derryl, leaving the darker-haired boy all alone.

"I… oh, now I've done it," Emil sighed, wringing his hands together. "Now I've really done it! What am I gonna do…?"

"Beats me," I said bluntly, walking away from the scene. "Somewhere in this city, there's a mug of ale with my name on it."

"Right," Bartolo voiced with disdain. Turning to Ophilia, he offered, "Well, Sister, I shall return to the cathedral if you truly need no assistance. Please do not hesitate to call on me, though."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Ophilia said with sincerity in her eyes.

From there, the group began to dissipate with plans to meet later at the Saintsbridge Cathedral in the northernmost part of town. Ophilia stayed with Tressa, Cyrus, Primrose, and H'aanit to help the best look for the brooch while Alfyn and Olberic decided to keep a close eye on me.

Said close eye ended up leading them to the local bar, and pretty soon the two of them were sitting down at a table with at least two mugs each.

"Now this right 'ere," Alfyn slurred slightly as he grasped a mug and pressed his finger against it, "this is some good stuff…"

Olberic downed another mug and nodded in response with a warm smile. "Indeed, my friend. Why, I already feel ten years younger…"

The two kept chatting and laughing as I remorselessly raided all of the patrons' pockets, all of them far too drunk to notice a thing. Once my own pockets were suitably heavy, I sat at the corner and dumped a handful of leaves onto the counter. The barkeep, having apparently missed my unsavory deeds, nodded and passed me a few mugs.

"Ah," I sighed in relief after taking a nice hard sip of cold mead. "Sometimes life isn't so shitty after all."

"I wouldn't say that exactly," a soft voice replied, startling me. Turning, I could see that a pretty young woman with purple hair had sat down next to me. "So much illness and suffering in the world… it's tragic, really."

"Uh… yeah," I said as I eyed her strangely, spotting a brown satchel slung over her shoulder. "... You some sort of apothecary?"

She giggled in response, covering her mouth. "What gave it away?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Lucky guess."

"So, what brings such a handsome gentleman like yourself here?" she flirted shamelessly, staring at me while resting her head in one hand.

"Seven maniacs and a snow leopard."

The woman blinked briefly before speaking again. "... Well, I can't say I've heard that one before."

"What's your name, dollface?"

"Hysel. Vanessa Hysel," she replied with a smile, offering her hand. "And you are?"

I eyed her hand strangely for a moment before continuing. "... Not drunk enough to continue this conversation. Now my acquaintance, Alfyn, on the other hand," I said, gesturing back to the table where the aforementioned apothecary was pounding the table and laughing, "... I figure you both might have something in common. Guy's practically got 'apothecary' written all over him."

Vanessa's eyes seemed to widen for a moment before she got ahold of herself, eyes darting between Alfyn and me suspiciously. "... Another apothecary, you say? Well, perhaps I'll go introduce myself to him after all. In the meantime, would you be interested in purchasing - "

"No."

"But… you don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Don't care. Hate solicitors. Piss off."

"Oh! How rude," Vanessa huffed angrily before standing from her stool and leaving the establishment without another word.

I smirked to myself as I lifted my mug to continue drinking. I really wanted to, but… something was telling me that it wasn't a good idea after pissing off that girl…

"Nope," I sighed, putting the mug back down. "Not today, temptress. I'd better go check on the others, though - "

"Aiyeeh!"

_SMASH!_

Sure enough, some poor unfortunate soul had thought it would be a good idea to mug a still very sober Olberic with little more than a knife. Olberic had decided to simply grab the man and slam him into a nearby table in response, breaking some of the thug's bones (and the table) in the process.

"... A fine fight that was," the swordsman uttered to the unconscious man, looking around bashfully at the shocked patrons and bartender. "You have my thanks."

... Maybe I wasn't that thirsty after all.

* * *

Silently slipping out of the bar, I started to walk back in the direction of the town square before a certain blonde cleric caught my eye.

"Therion!" Ophilia cried, running towards me. "There you are."

"Here I am," I joked, cracking a smile. "How's the babysitting coming along?"

The priestess gave me an annoyed look in response. "Very funny… We've looked all over the square and yet there's still no sign of the brooch. Not even Linde and Professor Albright have been able to track it down!"

"Seriously? What's even the point of keeping around a snow leopard and a detective if they can't even sniff out an NPC's lost item?"

Ophilia folded her arms and glared at me. "What about you? I thought you were out looking to get intoxicated before noon."

"Oh, please. Having some morning alcohol is hardly the worst thing in the world."

"Therion, I'm worried about those boys," she admitted softly, wringing her hands and looking down. "It's just…"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Just…?"

"Well… they're still so young, and genuine friendship can be hard to come by in this day and age…"

"Ain't that the truth," I snorted, folding my arms. "But why do you care anyway? I thought you were here to light some dumb candle or something."

This made Ophilia more upset than I've ever seen her get, even in battle. Her eyes seemed to smoulder with anger as she barked, "It's  _not_ dumb! This journey that I'm on… it's far more important than anything I've ever done in my life! And I'm not even doing it for myself; I'm doing it for the good of Orsterra and the two people I love the most!"

"I…"

I paused, unsure of what to say. Here this girl was, literally putting her life on the line for the good of humanity while asking for nothing in return, and here I was being a jackass. But… I mean…

"Ugh," I moaned, hand over my face in shame. I knew I was just drawing more attention to the band on my right wrist, but I didn't care anymore. My words alone had made me look far worse in her eyes than this stupid band ever could. I was just thankful that no one else seemed to be present at the moment.

"Look," Ophilia said in a tone that was quiet yet firm, "I understand that Tressa and the others didn't really give you much of a choice in coming along with us. I understand that you have your own motives and goals. I even understand that there's almost no conceivable way that we would even be working together under normal circumstances! Yet even so, in spite of all of this…"

"Here it comes…"

"... I know there's more to you than just some brooding thief," Ophilia sighed, hand over her heart as she looked at me with hopeful eyes.

Suddenly I felt extremely self-conscious and tried to hide it by burrowing my face into my scarf.

"... You're wrong," I said bluntly, looking down at the ground. "I'm a thief, and thieves steal. That's what we do; that's  _all_ we do. We don't make friends, we don't help others unless there's something in it for us, and we  _definitely_ don't stop to do heroic acts of charity like the rest of you lot."

"Therion - "

"You're dead-set on helping those kids, aren't you?" I interrupted. "Fine. By all means, go on. I'll see what I can do about gathering some intel, but don't expect me to do anything more than that."

The cleric was taken aback by this, and her eyes seemed to shine as she beamed with pride. "Therion! Does that mean…?"

"Ah-ah-ah,  _no_ ," I argued, holding a finger in the air. "I'm not helping out kids in need. I'm just trying to move the plot along so you can perform your little fire ceremony and we can get out of here, okay? That's it."

"I knew you couldn't be all bad," Ophilia giggled as she turned to walk up the stony path. "Um… actually, I was just about to talk to Derryl… would you care to accompany me?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose before responding. "... Fine. But I'm not doing this for them, and I'm  _especially_  not doing this for you, alright?"

Ophilia blinked for a moment before giggling. "If you insist… Come on, then."

A couple of minutes of searching later and we had finally arrived at the kid's house. A normal person in a normal situation might have knocked, but breaking and entering seems pretty commonplace for these types of situations, so…

"Hey!" Derryl yelled as I let myself in, Ophilia not too far behind me. "What the heck?!"

"You know, you really should have knocked, Therion…"

"Yeah, yeah," I groaned, "and he should have locked the door. Don't you have something to ask the little brat?"

"I'm standing right here, you know!"

Ophilia walked towards the boy, leaning forward slightly with her hands on her knees. "Hello… Derryl, was it?"

The boy pouted and looked away with folded arms, kinda reminding me of myself. "Hmph… what do you want? Did you find my brooch?"

"No… not yet, sadly," Ophilia sighed. "But Emil and our friends are all looking very hard for it, so - "

"Then I don't wanna hear it," Derryl rebutted. "That brooch means the world to me, and I want it back right now! It's all his fault that it's gone in the first place, and I won't forgive him until it comes back!"

"Who the hell cares about a stupid brooch?" I barked. "Why is it even so important to you in the first place?!"

"Therion…!"

"... It was my mum's brooch," Derryl answered quietly, his anger dissipating slightly.

"Yeah, so? Where is she, anyway?"

Derryl stared at the floor in silence with clenched fists as Ophilia gave me a harsh glare.

"... Oh," I mumbled sheepishly.

"Exactly," Derryl sighed. "That's why I need it back. I… it's all we have left of her…"

Ophilia rested a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, looking him square in the face with an expression that I could only describe as firm, yet fair. "I'm afraid I know your pain all too well. When I was a bit younger than you, I lost both of my parents… The pain you feel is justified, but hurting Emil won't bring her back."

I kept my mouth shut, watching the kid take in the harsh reality of her words. Seeing the hurt in his eyes made me think of myself when I was around his age; no home, no parents, no friends, not even so much as a cardboard box to live in. The last thing a kid at that age needs is to feel the pain of losing a parent…

"Nothing is more painful than losing a loved one… but don't you also love your friends?"

"He  _lost_ my mum's brooch!" Derryl exploded in response, visibly shaking. "I… how can I love someone who could be so careless?!"

Ophilia pursed her lips, her brow furrowing for a moment before she replied. "But… he's still out there, searching for the brooch in an attempt to right his wrong and mend your friendship. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Yeah, right! I… I bet he's already given up and gone home by now!"

Derryl turned his back on us without another word, arms still folded as he seethed in silence. Ophilia turned back to me with a pitiful expression as I merely rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Well, we failed," I announced. "C'mon, let's get out of here…"

"... No," the cleric refused, standing tall with her staff in her hand.

The tip of the staff glowed brilliantly with light magic as an arm flew in front of my face to protect myself. Derryl turned towards the source of the light with shock in his eyes.

"W-wait, what are you doing…?!"

"Let the Flame guide your path," Ophilia chanted as she raised her staff into the air.

"Waaah…! No! Just leave me alone!"

When the light died down, I could see that Derryl looked decidedly more calm and willing to listen to reason. Ophilia leaned over and whispered something into his ear, and she began to lead him out of the house with me close behind.

"Well, that was creepy," I sighed as the three of us stood atop the stony stairs overlooking the square.

Sure enough, Emil was still out there practically uprooting everything in sight in a vain attempt to find the brooch. The others that had stayed with him had largely given up. Just as well; if Cyrus and Linde couldn't find it, it was hopeless.

"I… I can't believe it," Derryl sighed.

"Emil told me something, you know," Ophilia said to the boy quietly. "He said you've been lashing out at everyone since your mother passed away."

"I don't remember that," I said.

"In spite of that," Ophilia continued, ignoring me, "he still hoped that you two could be friends again…"

"He… he really said that?"

"He did, yes. I know what it's like to lose a parent," Ophilia asserted, her eyes filled with an almost indescribable bittersweetness. "I know what it's like to feel like you're the only person in the world who feels the way that you do… When I lost my parents, I was still blessed to have people in my life that loved me. I closed my heart to them in my sorrow, and yet they loved me all the same…"

I closed my eyes, taking in her words. Sure, she wasn't talking directly to me, but those words still hit home regardless…

The "closing people off" part, not the "I had people around to cheer me up and not kick me while I was down" part.

"If you close your heart," Ophilia mused with a sad smile, "you'll never realize just how much your friends care about you."

I scoffed, shaking the thoughts out of my head. Surely she couldn't believe in such… sugary thoughts, could she? But then again, what could I possibly know about friendship and love?

Exactly. Jack shit.

"H-hey!" the boy exclaimed. "I didn't do anything! I'm not the one making him look for it! I… Why is everyone always blaming me?"

"I'm not blaming you, Derryl," Ophilia sighed. "But maybe… maybe you're blaming yourself? Perhaps you feel guilty for making Emil feel bad?"

"Ha," I sarcastically uttered. "You sure don't pull any punches, do ya, Blondie?"

"I… I just… grr," Derryl grumbled moodily. "Stop with the mind games! It's annoying!"

Ophilia blinked confusedly. "What? But I never meant to…"

"No, I can totally see it," I deadpanned. "Look, this has all gone on for way too long now. Let's just find the stupid brooch already and call it a day."

As we made our way back to the town square, out of words and ideas, I could see Tressa and some of the others gathered around panicking. Weirdly enough, the little brat who was supposed to be with them had vanished.

"Woah, woah, what the hell is going on here?"

"Well, it appears we have some good news and bad news," Cyrus answered matter-of-factly. "On the bright side, we've successfully located Derryl's brooch!"

"Wait," I laughed, "don't tell me; the bad news is that a dog ran off with it into a nearby forest and the idiot kid ran after it and now we have to go there and save him."

Cyrus blinked in surprise for a moment before a smile made its way across his face. "Why, that's absolutely correct!"

I merely gaped at everyone in response. "... You're joking."

"Nope," Tressa sighed, adjusting her hat. "But we're not gonna save Emil just standing around here! Linde, H'aanit! Do your thing!"

"Of course!"

Within seconds, Linde had already began sniffing at the ground before growling and sprinting off towards the westernmost part of town, H'aanit motioning for the rest of us to follow. Tressa was the first to sprint after her, followed by Primrose and Cyrus.

"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned. Turning to Ophilia and Derryl, I grumbled, "Kid, you stay here. Leave the dirty work to the adults."

"I can't believe it," Derryl muttered. "Emil seriously went into the Murkwoods…?"

"Yep. And all because of you," I said. "So if he dies…"

"He  _won't_ die, Therion," Ophilia chided me fiercely. "Not if we have anything to say about it! Wait here, Derryl!"

Thankfully not wasting any more time, the priestess rushed after her fellow companions and towards the forest entrance to the west of the square.

"Hold on, Emil!" Ophilia shouted as she sprinted into the forest. "We'll save you!"

"H-hey!" I spouted, trying to catch up. "Don't get careless!"

* * *

The Murkwood, true to its name, was as murky as it was woody. The trees touched the sky in such a way that made sunlight near nonexistent, and Ophilia and I ended up having to rely on her trusty staff to help guide the way through the darkness. The woods were alive with the sound of eerie silence as the two of us continued to walk down the dirt road, looking over our shoulders carefully.

"I don't like this," I grumbled, trying to push any feelings of anxiety deeper inside of me. "Usually we'd have run into at least a few monsters by now…"

"Where could everyone be?" Ophilia shakily asked me as one of her hands reached my poncho.

"H-hey!"

"Oh! I… my apologies," she sighed, bowing her head. "I… I was only trying to…"

Before the moment could get any more awkward, a loud roar rumbled through the air. The noise seemed to come from somewhere in front of us, and people could be heard shouting afterwards.

"Emil, get behind us!" a plucky voice commanded. "Professor, rev up those tomes!"

"Oh, hell. That  _has_ to be Tressa!" I shouted, gesturing to further up ahead. "C'mon!"

"R-right!"

A short sprint later found us at a clearing in the forest where our team was fighting a hellish-looking wolf. The beast was large, shaggy, and muscular, and it had the teeth and claws to match. Its solid yellow eyes had an almost soul-piercing gaze, and the wolf panted heavily as if being presented with an entire platter of salted meat.

"Great gods above!" Cyrus yelled as Emil cowered a safe distance behind him and the others. "Unless my eyes deceive me, this beast is none other than the legendary Hrodvitnir!"

H'aanit studied the beast with great interest as she readied her bow and arrow, her eyes traveling up and down the wolf's body. "... Yes, I believen you are correct, Professor Albright. The elders of S'warkii woulde often tellen the younglings about this foul beast before bed."

"... Seriously?" Tressa asked with shock and horror written all over her face. "That's awful!"

"Sounds like a healthy dose of nightmare fuel to me," I said with a shrug as Ophilia and I walked over to them. "We figured you might need a healer."

"Ophilia!" Primrose cheered. "... Oh, and Therion. Ahaha."

" _Ahaha_ yourself," I snarked, staring back at Hrodvitnir with my daggers already in my hands. "So what's the game plan? Cause I'm thinking we take the kid and run."

"Twould not do," H'aanit disagreed. "If we flee, the beast may chasen us back to Saintsbridge!"

Cyrus opened a tome and began mouthing words from it under his breath as a ball of fire began to form above his head.

"Then we gotta take it down here and now!" Tressa yelled assertively as she readied her bow like the huntress before her. Unlike H'aanit, however, she began muttering some words quietly until her arrow became coated in a green aura. "Let's go, Travelers!"

Hrodvitnir let out a guttural roar as it charged towards our party, Emil shrieking and covering his head from behind us. Tressa and H'aanit let their arrows fly at the same time as Cyrus's fireball careened into the beast's body. Though the arrows stuck and the flames persisted, the beast merely shook off the pain and continued its assault, swiping at us with a nasty claw.

"Argh!" H'aanit grunted as she lunged forward to take the brunt of the attack, using her axe to help her fight at close-range.

Apparently the beast could only focus on one opponent at a time, as it continued to bite and slash at an expertly-blocking H'aanit while Linde and Primrose stood off to the side, waiting for the perfect opening.

"Rawr!"

Right on cue, the snow leopard pounced at Hrodvitnir's left side and bit into it, causing the beast to let out a horrid howl of agony. As Linde leapt back to H'aanit's side, Tressa and Cyrus started blasting the wolf with wind and ice magic as Ophilia and Primrose began patching up a wounded H'aanit.

"'Tis but a scratch!" the huntress protested as her bloody wounds began to close.

"You're no use to us dead, H'aanit," Primrose warned, twirling around as she boosted the huntress's physical defenses. "Without Olberic and Alfyn, you're the hardiest person on the team!"

"Just where the hell are those two anyway?" I mumbled to myself as I crept behind Hrodvitnir, sword ready to pierce its hide.

Cyrus had let loose a powerful tempest of ice that had pierced and frozen some of the beast's flesh. Now that its front paws had been frozen by Cyrus's Blizzard spell, it was time to act.

I lunged forward with a yell as I thrusted my sword deep into the beast's back. Hrodvitnir let out another hideous shriek of pain and I felt momentarily proud of myself before it kicked me in the chest with its hind legs. The impact sent my flying back-first into a nearby tree, making me drop my sword.

"Therion!" Ophilia cried as she rushed over to my side, staff at the ready.

"D-damn… I hate dogs," I joked, coughing up a little bit of blood. "Ugh…"

"Just hold on," she whispered as she moved her staff over my chest gently, letting the healing magic pour into my ribcage.

Looking ahead, I could see that Hrodvitnir had unfrozen its paws and was now glaring right at Ophilia and me, slowly prowling over to us. H'aanit and the others tried getting its attention with projectile attacks, but the beast stayed unfettered.

"O-Ophilia," I croaked, pointing a shaky arm towards the beast. "Behind you…!"

"Huh?!"

Ophilia turned towards the hellhound with pure fear in her eyes, lifting her staff in front of us as if it would do us any good. "B-begone, you… you…!"

"Oh, come on," I groaned, clutching my heart with my hand. "It's okay to swear at a time like this, you know. Really."

"N-no!" Ophilia shook her head violently as the beast drew near, her staff now shining beautifully. "You won't take him from me!"

"Run, Ophilia," I insisted, trying to rise to my feet. The damn wolf sure had some lower leg strength to be sure. "I… I can make it…"

"No! I can't just leave a friend behind!" the priestess declared as she fired rays of holy light down onto the beast. It writhed and shook in pain, but stayed on its feet and continued to ignore the others in favor of us.

Finally, Hrodvitnir let out a final soul-shattering scream as it pounced towards us with teeth and claws bared. Time seemed to slow down in that brief moment, and I could see everyone's faces pretty clearly. Tressa and Cyrus had given up on their magic altogether and were rushing towards us with spear and staff in hand, horror sprawled on their faces. Primrose had just finished a double Mole Dance on them with the hopes of saving her friends, Linde and H'aanit were sprinting alongside them, and Ophilia shut her eyes tightly with her staff still shining as she waited for the inevitable.

"Hey, you! Chew on  _this_!"

Nobody could believe their eyes as we saw a hatchet sail through the air and collide right with Hrodvitnir's jaw, embedding itself into the wolf's mouth with a terrible bone-cracking sound. Even H'aanit winced as the poor bastard tried to howl in pain only to bleed onto the forest ground as a result.

"A-Alfyn?!" Tressa cried with huge eyes as the apothecary came forward from behind us.

"In the flesh," he said with a grin. "Man, do I got a killer left arm or what?"

"Impeccable timing, my friend," Cyrus sighed with a smile as she rest of us regrouped towards the entrance of the clearing. "I had no idea just how potent axes could be even as projectile weapons!"

"Grrr… grooohhh!"

The seven of us turned to see that Hrodvitnir, despite having been impaled in the jaw by a throwing axe, was still standing with pure hatred in its eyes.

"Tch… the hell is it gonna take to kill this thing?!" I shouted before coughing suddenly.

"I think you're gonna need to let me take a look at that later," Alfyn sighed as he glared the wolf down with his axe at the ready. "Do we really have to kill this thing though…? I only threw the hatchet out of desperation…"

H'aanit stared down at the ground for a moment before speaking up. "... My friends. Please do not killen the beast. I wishe to haven a word with it."

"Pfft," I snorted. "What, you mean, like, ask it how its day is going?"

"Therion…"

"Indeede," H'aanit solemnly stated. "Perhaps, in doing so, we can reachen a common ground."

"This is crazy," I sighed, "but alright. Might as well, since we've already got the  _high_ ground."

"Boooo," Tressa jeered with two thumbs-down as everyone else merely shook their heads in disappointment.

Hrodvitnir crept forward as we got back into a defensive position, ready to weaken the bleeding monster. The beast only crawled about ten feet away from us before it crumpled to the ground, devoid of fighting spirit. H'aanit took the moment to walk over to it and kneel by its side, stroking its head gently.

"Shh… it will all be over soon… but I must know; what ails you, Hrodvitnir?"

"Grrr… ouuuu…"

"Oh… oh dear…"

Cyrus stepped forward cautiously, eyeing the beauty and the beast nervously. "... What seems to be the issue, H'aanit? Is it territorial? Did we perhaps stumble upon its abode at a rather poor time?"

"... No," H'aanit answered quietly, closing her eyes. "Hrodvitnir… hath been poisoned."

Everyone stood in stunned silence at the revelation. A monstrous-looking demon wolf… had been  _poisoned_?

"I… don't get it," I said. "Who'd want to poison a wolf? And why?"

"Poor Hrodvitnir," Tressa sighed with watery eyes. "Who could have done such a thing…?"

"Oh, geez... now I feel really bad," Alfyn muttered.

"... Perhaps it was a poacher?" Primrose suggested softly as she gazed at the beast with pity.

"I do not know," H'aanit sighed, "but whoever hath committed this crime must pay for this."

"Sorry about your jaw, buddy," Alfyn apologized guiltily, kneeling to stroke the dying wolf. "You… you're not a bad dog, are ya? No… you were the victim here all along…"

"Grr…"

Linde growled sadly, nuzzling the poor creature's face and licking it. As Hrodvitnir drew its final breath, it almost seemed to smile at us - its lips curling slightly at the corners - before it finally let go.

"Is… is it over?" Emil asked, peeking his head out from behind the group. Ophilia took the initiative and covered his eyes with her hand as the rest of us stood around the corpse.

"Yes, Emil… it's over."

* * *

"Poisoned wildlife," Olberic said quietly, rubbing his temples as we sat at a table in the dining area of the cathedral. The day had turned to night just like that, and the staff of the cathedral had offered to let us stay the night free with a complimentary breakfast as thanks for Ophilia's deeds. "Does humanity's cruelty know no bounds? I only regret not having caught the criminal in the act myself."

"Cheer up, Sir Olberic," Cyrus pleaded softly. "With any luck, we'll find a lead yet! Whoever poisoned Hrodvitnir surely must remain in Saintsbridge as of yet! Especially considering the poison must have been fast-acting... perhaps it was only administered yesterday before we had encountered the poor creature..."

"Tch," I scoffed before taking a sip of my sadly nonalcoholic drink. "Poison, huh…"

"I'm just glad that Emil is back safe and sound," Tressa sighed in relief. "If we hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened! Good job, everyone."

Glaring at Olberic, she added, "Well, everyone who actually  _bothered_ to show up, that is!"

"Ah… my apologies, Tressa. I'm afraid I got caught up in having to repay the local bartender for a damaged table."

"What?!" Tressa exclaimed. "What could you have possibly been doing in there to break a table?"

Primrose locked eyes with me from across the table and smirked, causing me to roll my eyes with a small smile.

"Everyone," Bishop Bartolo announced as he entered the room, "Sister Ophilia is about to light the Sacred Flame of Saintsbridge! Please, come, if you will."

Our group of seven was escorted to the main hall of the church and directed to sit in the front row as Ophilia walked up the middle of the walkway. She smiled at each of us before finally making her way to the altar where the Flame resided.

Clearing her throat, she began, "Friends and residents of Saintsbridge! I thank you all for joining me on this, a most sacred day. Today marks the official beginning of the Kindling, and it is with Aelfric's Lanthorn in my hand that I hereby light the Flame of Saintsbridge!"

The audience waited until Ophilia had finished lighting the Flame to applaud, and the rest of us were amazed at how radiant the blue flame was. Cyrus in particular seemed to be furiously scribbling down some notes in his notepad, probably trying to figure out how lighting fire with more fire made any logical sense.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Phili!" Tressa cheered as she hugged the priestess tightly, beaming.

"You are doing the world at large a great service, lass," Olberic complimented with a gentle smile. "I could think of no greater honor than to accompany you on your quest.

"You're going to make me blush," Ophilia giggled, her golden locks swaying as she laughed melodically. "Still… I cannot thank all of you enough. Were it not for your strength, I would not be standing here today…"

"Hmph," I mumbled as we exited the cathedral through the front door. "Yeah, yeah, great. Power of friendship, hooray…"

Everyone else shared a laugh and began to walk forward until three kids ran past us, laughing and smiling.

Ophilia squinted for a moment before calling out to them. "Wait a moment… Derryl! Emil! Nate! Is that really you?"

"Oh, hi," Derryl greeted quietly with a tiny smile.

"Hello, Sister!" Emil chirped.

"I'm so glad to see that the lot of you are friends again regardless of our failure," Ophilia said with a warm smile. "I'm just sorry we couldn't find your mother's brooch, Derryl…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Derryl asked, holding a very brooch-like object in his hand.

"Oh!" Tressa uttered excitedly. "Does that mean… is that…?"

"Sure is!" Derryl cheered with a smile. "I don't know what happened, but... just last night, when you guys brought Emil back from the forest, it appeared under my pillow!"

"Really?!" Ophilia perked up as the others smiled. "That's amazing! Truly!"

"You sure you didn't just misplace it this whole time?" I asked him skeptically.

"I'm positive!"

"Yeah! And I believe him too," Nate affirmed. "I'm just glad all three of us can be friends again…"

"M-me too!" Emil said with a grin. "Thanks, you guys… for everything."

With that, the three ran off to continue playing together in the town square.

"Pfft… stupid kids," I grumbled under my breath. "I need a drink after all of this."

H'aanit chuckled. "Life truly does work in mysterious ways sometimes."

"I'm so happy for those three," Ophilia chimed in. "But… where did the missing brooch come from?"

"Beats me," I said with a shrug.

As I continued walking forward, I could feel everyone staring holes into my back. Turning, I demanded, "What?"

"Therion," Tressa cooed teasingly with a smirk.

"That's my name, yes. What of it?"

Alfyn laughed boisterously. "Ahahaha! Who knew Fluffy had a soft spot for kids after all?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I barked, clenching my fists. "And quit calling me that!"

"Therion, you didn't… did you?" Ophilia inquired with a friendly smile and shining brown eyes.

"... You know what? Believe what you want," I sighed as I turned to walk back to the tavern.

Despite myself, I felt a small smile growing on my face as I did so.

"Yeah… I earned that drink."

* * *

I sat at the counter and ordered another round from the moderately-richer bartender as I contemplated the events of the day and what tomorrow would bring. We had taken care of Ophilia's business, but I had reason to believe that we might be staying in Saintsbridge just a while longer. No doubt H'aanit and Olberic would want to do some questioning around town to find the cad who poisoned Hrodvitnir, and I had the suspicion that everyone else would be too much of a goody-goody to refuse them.

"Therion, my boy!" Alfyn shouted as he took a seat next to me, taking one of my drinks for himself. "You ain't gonna believe this!"

I sighed, smiling. "What is it this time, Alfyn?"

Leaning in, he replied in a whisper, "I hear there's this talented apothecary in town! And get this! Apparently, she's  _gorgeous_! We gotta go see her in action sometime!"

"Yeah, nothing says 'hot date' like 'bandages and healing tonics'."

"That's what I'm sayin'!"

"..."

"So… Er… wanna come?"

"When is this so-called apothecary doing her thing?" I asked half-heartedly.

"In about an hour in the square!" Alfyn exclaimed, raising his mug. "With any chance, maybe some of her talent will rub off onto me!"

"Heh… sure, Alf."

I had an inkling of who this mystery doctor might be, but I decided not to worry about it for the time being. I mean, we just got done dealing with a giant berserker wolf while also repairing a broken friendship between two kids.

How bad could one apothecary be?


	11. (You'll Love My) Toxic Love

It was about ten in the morning when we had finished our drinks. Per the doctor's orders, Alfyn and I decided to walk back to the town square in search of this mystery apothecary woman. I guess Alfyn wasn't the only one who had gotten wind of this gorgeous visiting apothecary if the sizable crowd before us was any indication.

"Where could she possibly be?" a bystander asked her husband. "I hear Zeke's come down with a terrible illness…"

"Aye. The same illness that took poor little Derryl's mum, if I'm not mistaken…"

As the townspeople continued to mumble in anticipation, I turned to Alfyn with an unimpressed glare.

"... What?"

"She's not here, Alf. I can't believe you dragged me away from the tavern for this."

"Hey, you agreed to come here," he pointed out cheekily, "and it's not like you have anything better to do anyway, am I right?"

"Yowch. Gonna need some cream for that one, doc…"

A few more minutes of waiting and trying to tune out the crowd's conversations passed before someone finally cheered.

"Oh! 'Ere she is!"

Alfyn's jaw dropped considerably once he saw the purple-haired apothecary stroll into the square, a beautiful smile on her face as the townspeople cheered her on.

"It's our miracle worker herself!"

"You saved my husband, Vanessa!"

"Three cheers fer Miss Hysel! Hip hip, hooray!"

Vanessa let out a chuckle. "Thank you, all of you. Truly it means a lot to me that the people of Saintsbridge have welcomed me into their noble city with welcome arms."

"Even if some people have been... less-than receptive," she claimed, subtly glaring in my direction, "this is far and away one of the nicest towns I've visited in quite some time. More importantly, however, I am pleased to announce that Zeke will be making a full recovery in no time!"

I rolled my eyes as the audience continued to cheer like a bunch of idiots. Alfyn finally decided to turn his brain on and walked up to the female apothecary with a stupid grin. "So, uh… heh. Hi."

"Hello there," Vanessa replied kindly, looking him square in the face with a slightly amused look. She scanned his frame with her eyes for a moment before going on. "Judging by your satchel, I take it you're a fellow apothecary?"

"I sure am!" Alfyn perked up with bright eyes. "What's this I've been hearing about a sick Zeke?"

Her smile faltered a bit before she replied. "Oh, the poor dear was sick as a dog, is all. A couple doses of my patented 'Fixer-Elixir' was all it took to make sure he didn't cough up any more blood!"

As I scowled in disgust, Alfyn stared at her dreamily as his cheeks started to flush. "Golly…"

The crowd became distracted by the apothecaries' continuing conversation and I soon took advantage of the situation to help myself to some of their belongings.

Good grief, don't these morons carry anything other than grapes or seeds?

Vanessa cleared her throat, straightening her satchel. "Well, it's been fun chatting with you, Alfyn, but I'm afraid I must leave for the time being."

"Ah… y-yeah, no prob," Alfyn relented with a nod, probably feeling guilty for talking her ear off. "Uh… if you don't mind…"

"Yes?"

"Maybe we could get together and discuss medicine sometime," Alfyn suggested, smiling bashfully. "Y-You know, as colleagues!"

The crowd began to murmur quietly, almost as if watching a juicy play at a theatre.

Vanessa seemed taken aback by our apothecary's forwardness, but smiled nonetheless. "... Well, I'm afraid my medicinal tactics must be kept confidential, but I'm sure I can make some more time for you later. Shall we say… three in the afternoon at the local tavern?"

"Er… Great!" Alfyn blurted a little more eagerly than he probably should have. "Uh, I mean… great for a professional meeting between colleagues! Hahaha…"

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration as Vanessa walked away with a swish in her step, the crowd dispersing until it was just Alfyn and me left standing in the square like a couple of dopes.

"Great," I congratulated sarcastically. "You got a date. Well done, Alfyn. Thanks for that totally not boring stunt you made me watch."

Alfyn, meanwhile, stood staring after the long-gone apothecary with a smile. It took him a couple of seconds to process what had just went down, and his face quickly shifted from bliss to confusion.

"Uh, Alf? You still there?"

"A… d-date?" he croaked with a bead of sweat trailing down his forehead. "Aw, shucks…"

I rolled my eyes and huffed in annoyance. "Oh, please. I bet half the group wouldn't even give two shits about this whole thing."

* * *

"You're going on a date?!" Tressa squealed excitedly from her bed in the inn room. "Eeeee! Way to go, Alfie!"

Primrose chuckled with an almost wicked smirk. "This should be interesting…"

"I don't know why I even bother with you people," I sighed, looking in Alfyn's direction. "You barely even know her!"

Cyrus looked up at me from a book he was reading and tapped the side of his head with his finger. "All the more reason to socialize over a lovely Saintsbridge dinner, is it not?"

"Who the hell eats dinner at three in the afternoon? This whole thing reeks of failure if you ask me - "

I was interrupted by a very unladylike snort courtesy of Tressa. "Ha! I think you're jealous, Therion!"

"What did you just say?!" I snapped.

Yeah!" came the emboldened reply. "I think you're jealous because Alfyn has a hot date tonight and you don't!"

Alfyn tugged at his collar nervously. "Tress, I really don't think - "

"You're such a brat," I groaned, shaking my head with a bitter smile. "Gods forbid a guy not crave the touch of a woman all day and night."

Tressa frowned for a moment, thinking, before a firefly went off in her head. "Ohhh…"

"... What?" Primrose asked.

"Maybe it's not the touch of a woman you crave," Tressa suggested, "but the touch of a man!"

My ears felt hot as I felt four pairs of eyes on me, thankfully none of them belonging to Ophilia or Olberic. Like I didn't have enough trouble with this crew as is…

"I… what?! Just what are you implying?!"

"Hey, there's no shame in it," Primrose chimed in with a shrug.

"I know that, but… argh!" I blurted, trying desperately to change the subject. "Hey guys, remember Alfyn's date? The one he has coming up in a couple of hours?"

Hearing this made Tressa's devious smirk melt into a genuine smile of excitement. "Oh yeah! We gotta get you all decked out in the finest clothes, Alfie! Primmy can even do your hair!"

"Buh? What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, Alfyn," Primrose sighed with a bowed head, getting up to lead Alfyn out of the room by the arm. "We have a long road ahead of us…"

"Ack! Hey!"

I threw my hands up in the air and laid back on my bed, closing my eyes as the pair left. "There's no way this can possibly end well. Where are the other three in all of this insanity?"

"Olberic and H'aanit ventured out into the woods on the outskirts of Saintsbridge to train," Cyrus notified me, "and Ophilia went with them if I recall correctly."

"Heh. I should have gone with them myself, now that I think about it," I muttered into my pillow. "Ah, well. Time for a nap."

Tressa shouted, "Don't sleep too long now, Mr. Mopey! Cause I've got a special assignment for you!"

"Please tell me it involves dying. Dying sounds really good right about now."

"Sorry, bucko, death's not on the menu tonight," Tressa retorted cheerfully. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it - "

"Oh, like you'd really give me the choice!"

"... is a recon mission. Nothing more, nothing less. There's even some extra leaves in it for you, you know…"

I rose from my bed like a mummy from its tomb, staring at my "employer" with piqued interest as the others shuffled nervously. "... Recon, huh?"

* * *

Back in my younger days, reconnaissance would typically involve stake-outs, stalking, and perusing certain people and places to rob from.

Sitting at a table in a tavern, pretending to be on a date with everyone's favorite dancer, was not what I had in mind.

"You worry too much," Primrose chided me, taking off her goofy-looking sunglasses to let me know she was making eye contact. "Besides, I think the hat and fake mustache look good on you!"

"I feel like an idiot," I snarled as the server came by, notepad and pen in hand.

Currently, Primrose and I were at a booth near the back of the establishment. Alfyn, nearly combed hair and all, was sitting just a couple of tables away in the center. The angle he was sitting at made it unlikely that he would spot us, but Tressa wanted to be extra careful, hence the stupid disguises.

"Ah, welcome!" the server greeted kindly. "And what can I get the lovely couple this afternoon?"

Primrose smiled politely. "Just a salad and some red wine, please. I'm trying to watch my figure, you see."

"Yes, yes, of course! And for you, good sir?"

"I'll, uh… have the Ratkin Special," I mumbled awkwardly, "with a side of poached Egglings and a beer."

Suddenly, I spotted Vanessa walk over to Alfyn's table in a dark purple dress, satchel still slung over her shoulder..

"... Make it a couple beers."

The server smiled as he finished writing our orders down on what looked like a used napkin. "Wonderful! I shall be back as soon as humanly possible!"

"I didn't even know this place had waiters," Primrose noted quietly. "The restaurants in Noblecourt were so… upscale, compared to the likes of this…"

"... You're from there, aren't you?" I inquired as I stared at her curiously, taking off the fake mustache with some difficulty before pulling my scarf further up.

This made her chuckle, although there was a deep twinge of bitterness in her voice. "... What gave it away?"

"Lady, I've been to Sunshade plenty. You might have the style and grace, but you are  _not_  a Sunshade girl."

"... Hmph."

"What are you even doing out here anyway?" I asked as my eyes darted back and forth between her and Alfyn's happy little table for two. "I mean, not like I care or anything. Just trying to pass the time."

Primrose gave me an amused smirk as the server came back with our drinks, promising to deliver the food shortly. "You're a real charmer, Therion. You know that?"

I shrugged with a smirk of my own. "So I've been told."

"... Are you sure you really want to know?" she asked, her voice lowering to almost a whisper. "I've been told my tale can be a bit… dark."

Seeing as Alfyn and Vanessa seemed to be getting along well enough, I decided I could spare some more attention for the time being. "... I mean, you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I value privacy too, y'know."

"Mm… I'm glad," Primrose said, closing her eyes and taking a sip of her drink before moving on. "Even so, I'll try to keep it short."

"Oi…"

"My father was taken from me about ten years ago," she explained somberly, looking down at the table. "Geoffrey Azelhart, Lord of Noblecourt."

I nodded slowly, making eye contact with her. "Ten years, huh… Who did the deed?"

"The crows," Primrose whispered harshly, gazing around the room like a hawk as if just speaking of them would cause them to appear. "Three men in black hoods accosted my father late at night and murdered him where he stood. Each of them bore a crow tattoo on them: one on the left arm, one on the right, and one on the crook of his neck."

"Hooded men in black," I muttered, rubbing my temples with my fingers. "Seems familiar… go on."

"I've spent the better part of a decade hunting them down, Therion. A few years ago, I managed to track one of them down to a shady tavern in Sunshade, home of the depraved. I posed as a simple girl off the street to become a part of the dance troupe that frequently performed there."

"I don't like where this is going," I said, feeling a pit growing in my stomach. "Last I heard, the place was run by a nasty ogre of a human being."

Primrose nodded solemnly. "You heard correctly. He'd abuse us constantly; berating us for the smallest of mistakes, putting his hands on us, forcing us to… to…"

Seeing her pained, angered expression, I held out a hand. "... It's alright. You don't have to say anything more."

"I'm sorry…"

I sighed, closing my eyes and trying not to picture what it was like for her. I know that I had my fair share of shitty days, but…  _that_? Damn…

"You have nothing to be sorry about," I scoffed. "Where is that piece of filth anyway?"

"Food for the sandworms," she joked maliciously, not that I could blame her. "Helgenish, that bastard… he killed the one friend I had made in that awful troupe of airheads. Tortured her, stabbed her right in the stomach and threw her off a cliff, and all because she dared to help me. If he wasn't in my way, I probably would have come back and killed him regardless."

I drummed my fingers on the table, soaking in all the information I had learned. "That's… some pretty heavy shit, Primrose."

"Mm… but I'm not the only one here who's suffered, am I? And I don't have time to wallow in my pity," the dancer asserted defiantly, clenching her fist. "Now you know why I'm out here. All those years spent wanting to avenge my father… they'd all be for naught if I had chosen to give up. I only joined up with Tressa and the gang by chance, but… they're good people. I don't regret standing by them one bit."

I could see the fire in Primrose's emerald eyes. When talking about that Helgenish bastard, they seemed to burn with hate and anger. Now, though… they blazed with conviction.  _Determination_.

"Hmph… what's taking that damn waiter so long, anyway?" I huffed, breaking eye contact and instead choosing to look at a still-chatting Alfyn and Vanessa who had already received their meals. The two seemed to laughing about something, probably a nerdy medicine joke, and I glared at the perfect pair as I sipped my beer bitterly.

As if on cue, the poor waiter came from the kitchen with two platters in his hand. Setting them onto our table, he apologized, "Terribly sorry about the wait, my beloved patrons! Bon appétit!"

The food I ordered looked… oddly nice, considering it was made of humanoid rat flesh and unborn Egglings. Primrose and I ate in silence as we kept an eye on Alfyn and Vanessa, who were still going at it. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying over the chatter of the tavern, but I saw Alfyn leave a pouch of leaves on the table before pulling Vanessa's chair out from behind her as she stood up.

"They're leaving," I alerted Primrose, standing from my seat in the booth. "We gotta go after them."

"Can't we stay for dessert?" she flirted, batting her eyes. She then laughed upon seeing my look of annoyance. "Oh, geez. So grumpy… alright. At least let me pay for the meals since you were kind enough to even drag yourself out of bed for this."

"Hey, I can afford it!"

"I think Tressa would prefer if we paid using money earned through a more… honest occupation."

I rolled my eyes before spotting Alfyn lead Vanessa out the front door. "Do what you want, but I'm gonna go keep an eye on those two."

Without another word, I made my way out the front door of the tavern and stuck to the shadows of the building like a slug. The pair seemed to be having a good time, laughing and smiling as they strolled into the town square where they first met and sat on a bench. I made sure to look around for witnesses before trailing the duo, slinking into the bushes near their bench.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Vanessa," Alfyn nervously said, pausing to clear his throat. "My journey hasn't been that long, you know… but even still, I don't think I've ever met someone quite like you before."

I gagged as I continued to listen to the conversation. I'd be more than content to just leave altogether, but I just know that Tressa would badger me to no end if she didn't get to hear all the "juicy deets", as she put it.

Vanessa chuckled quietly as she looked down at her feet, hands clasped together tightly. "Truthfully… I could say the same. It's rare in this day and age to find a person who appreciates medicine and helping those in need, and yet… here we are…"

"Yeah, heh… here we are…"

Turning to face her properly, Alfyn went on. "Y'know, Vanessa… uh…"

"Yes, Alfyn?"

"I don't suppose I should ask, but… is there anyone in your life right now? Like… romantically speaking?"

I could not believe what I was hearing. Was Alfyn seriously asking this girl who he had just met today to be his girlfriend? You gotta be kidding me! She could be a serial killer for all he knows.

"I… Alfyn," Vanessa gasped, looking away from him bashfully. "My work leaves very little room for anything of the sort, I'm afraid."

"Ah… gotcha," the male apothecary said with a good-natured laugh. "Heh. Well, I respect that. Saving people's lives is no joke, after all."

"Ah… yes," Vanessa coughed before looking him in the eye. "Right. Still… you're a very sweet man, Alfyn. Perhaps, if I was a different woman… things could be different…"

"You mean like if you had a different profession?"

"... Exactly," she finished with a wistful smile.

"Vanessa - "

"Doctor, doctor!" a woman cried, bustling her way into the square as several other townspeople followed her. "We need an apothecary right away!"

Vanessa broke away from Alfyn and stood to her feet, a glint in her eye. "What seems to be the problem?"

"It's my husband," the woman replied tearfully. "His illness has gotten much worse… when he coughs up blood, there's even bits of black mixed in there…"

Alfyn's face scrunched up in confusion. "Black… blood? I'm not aware of any such diseases - "

"There's not an illness in all the realms that my special sliced cannot cure," Vanessa boasted proudly.

I stood up from my spot and snuck my way around into the crowd so as not to blow my cover.

"However," she mentioned in an almost chilling tone, "my famous tonics are quite difficult to brew, requiring some of the finest and rarest ingredients in Orsterra. Worse still, I'm afraid they're rather short in supply as of late…"

"Please," a man begged on his knees. "My mother… my sweet elderly mother … she's all I have left. I'll do anything!"

Alfyn gave Vanessa a wary glance. "Uh, Vanessa…?"

"Well, the price is rather hefty, but if you're so willing to pay," Vanessa stated, "I suppose I can offer you all a discount. I do believe one-hundred thousand leaves a phial should suffice."

My jaw practically hit the floor, along with everyone else's, as I heard the price. One-hundred thousand?! That was more than what most thieves made in a lifetime! How could she expect any honest, hard-working person to afford that much out of pocket? Not even Tressa would stoop to this level of bullshit.

"Holy - !" Alfyn nearly swore, catching himself. "One-hundred… thousand? Vanessa, doesn't that seem like a little too much for the common man?"

"Money is no object when lives are on the line," a wealthy-looking gentleman insisted. "I simply cannot allow my wife to perish! Please, take my leaves!"

One of the Knights Ardante from the cathedral stepped forward as well. "Tis a steep sum to pay, but life is priceless. I too shall purchase a vial."

"Yeah, me too!"

"And me!"

"I guess I don't really have a choice…"

I could only watch in amazement as Vanessa sold her hideously-overpriced wares to the poor desperate schmucks. Where the hell were these people when I was pickpocketing the crowd? Alfyn's jaw, meanwhile, still hadn't returned to its proper place, and under normal circumstances I probably would have laughed. But this… this was extortion. Highway robbery at its absolute worst. And they call me a thief…

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you all," Vanessa chirped sweetly with an equally insulting wink.

"Um… m'lady…"

Everyone turned to see an impoverished-looking woman in an apron standing behind us, looking quite sickly herself. "... I'm afraid my two daughters have come down with the same cough. Little Ellen and Flynn…"

"Oh! The poor little dears," Vanessa gasped dramatically, eyes wide with 'empathy'. "I'm quite sorry to hear that."

Suddenly, the poor woman thrust forward a modestly-sized pouch of leaves. "I am afraid we do not have much in the way of money, but… this is all I have. Truly. Might I still be able to…?"

"I'm truly sorry, miss," the purple-haired apothecary apologized and shook her head, "but I'm afraid that my medicine is in quite high demand, and I only have so many phials at the ready. Locating the necessary ingredients to make a new batch could take weeks if not months, and that's before even getting to the brewing process…"

"Oh!" the woman cried, falling to her knees as if she had been hit in the stomach with a tree branch. "Please, please, Miss Hysel! Have mercy!"

The businesswoman, callous as she was, merely gave her a small wince of sadness as she returned to the ever-growing crowd of desperate people who also ignored the woman. Just when did this outbreak start anyway? It had only been a few hours since we saw Vanessa here in the square the first time…

As the impoverished woman went home in sorrow, weeping for her daughters, Alfyn merely shook his head at Vanessa in disgust before walking away, not even bothering to say goodbye.

"Vanessa… How could you?"

"Alfyn," I called after him once we were far enough away from the crowd. Startled, he turned around instantly.

"A-Ah! Fluffy! I mean, Therion! Don't scare a guy like that," he scolded me, glaring. "... How much did you hear?"

I scoffed, folding my arms. "Enough to know that your girlfriend is a bigger thief than even I am, but still not enough to care."

"She's not my girlfriend!" he yelled, clenching his fists. "I could never be with someone so… so… Ugh!"

"Alfyn…"

"I know, I know. 'It's all your fault', 'you shouldn't have been so naive', I get it," he huffed in a mocking tone similar to my own. "I just…"

"You can drown your sorrows in ale later, alright?" I suggested. "Aren't you going to do anything about those sick kids that can't afford the medicine?"

"Of course I am!" Alfyn shouted, gaining some bravado back. "I just… I dunno… I'm hurt, I guess. And no amount of salve or bandages is gonna fix this one..."

"Trust me, you get used to it after a while. And hey, if it makes you feel better, life is meaningless and we all die anyway," I tried to console him.

Emphasis on  _tried_.

"... That didn't help at all," Alfyn sighed. "Thanks, though, I guess… Bah, you're right. My pain can wait; let's focus on helping those kids!"

"Yeah, uh, no," I refused. "I can probably track down the lady with the daughters, but you're on your own for this one."

Alfyn chuckled softly. "Guess I should have expected that. Tell you what, why don't we get the others back at the inn to come with us?"

"Sounds fair enough," I agreed. "Lead the way."

"Sweet!" he cheered. "Tressa never lets me be the party leader,"

"Right…"

* * *

It was still daylight when the two of us returned to our room in the inn, and what we saw was… not a pretty sight. H'aanit, and Ophilia had made it back from their training session, but they looked utterly terrible. Even though Olberic looked no worse for the wear, the girls were running fevers with heated red faces, were coughing frequently to the point of barely being able to speak, and looked as pale as their bedsheets. Linde laid by the foot of H'aanit's bed, whimpering mournfully for her mistress.

"By the gods," Alfyn uttered as he brought forth some strange tonics from his satchel. "You poor things…"

The rest of us stood just outside the room, Tressa pacing back and forth nervously. "Oh no… oh gods…"

"Tressa, please do try to calm down," Cyrus asked her. "Our friends are in good hands, you know. Though I must admit I too am worried…"

Primrose stared at the floor. "I just don't understand… they were all perfectly fine this morning. What happened to them, Olberic?"

"I am ashamed to reveal that I do not know, Primrose," the warrior mournfully said. "Mayhaps there was something in the river they drank from. I knew I shouldn't have neglected to bring along my flask..."

Our scholarly friend consoled Olberic with a pat on the back. "Now, now, Olberic, it's not  _your_ fault. We'll just have to remember never to leave the inn without fresh water from now on!"

"Tch…"

"A-Alfyn," I heard Ophilia croak from her bed. I peeked inside the room to see her smile weakly at him, bags under her eyes.

"Ah-ah-ah," he chided, "you need to save your strength, Ophilia. These tonics can stabilize your condition, but it'll take some time for you to start feeling better again."

"I… thank you… urk…"

I returned to the hallway and sank to the floor, leaning my head against the wall. I'd never admit it to them, of course, but seeing Ophilia in such a state kinda hurt. I wasn't as worried about H'aanit seeing as she was undoubtedly strong, but Ophilia had the constitution of a wet napkin. A cute wet napkin, sure, but...

Wait, what the hell?

A few more minutes had passed before Alfyn stepped out of the room sweating. "... They're not doing too well. I can keep them from getting worse, but… I don't think I can necessarily improve their condition with the elixirs I have…Damn it all! There has to be a cure."

"Plus there's still the matter of those two sick kids from before," I pointed out. "The local barkeep might know where they live, but - "

Alfyn slapped his forehead immediately. "Ah, shoot! I knew I was forgettin' something! But… what about our friends? I can't just leave them to…"

"Not to worry, chap. Tressa and I can remain here to keep an eye on their condition," Cyrus asserted with a friendly smile. "It might be a good idea to bring Olberic along for protection, however."

"Professor, I appreciate it, but - "

"Yeah!" Tressa cheered. "Just let us know which tonics to use on them if they start coughing up a storm again!"

"I… Alright," Alfyn relented. "If we're quick about it, we can get to the bottom of this mystery illness and whip up a cure in no time! Hold tight, everyone! Doc Alfyn is on the case!"

Leaving some of his thankfully labeled tonics with Cyrus and Tressa, Alfyn bolted out of the inn with rest of us trailing him.

"H-Hey, wait up!"

* * *

A bit of digging revealed that the girls and their mother lived in a small house on the outskirts of town, the house itself clearly having seen better days. When the three of us showed up on her doorstep, the woman who introduced herself as Marlene graciously let us inside. Both of her little red-haired daughters, Ellen and Flynn, laid on small separate beds as their bodies were wracked with illness.

"The poor babies," Primrose cooed sadly as she gazed at them with pity. "How long have they been like this?"

"I'm telling you," Marlene wept, "it just started overnight! I've always been a sickly woman, but… not like this… oh, gods… What if  _I_  did this to them?"

"Mm… Marlene?" Alfyn inquired as he turned to the sobbing mother. "I have to ask… Did your daughters have any form of treatment before now? Like, any potions or concoctions ingested?"

"Why, yes," she said in a shaky voice. "That same lady apothecary from before swung by yesterday and said she was offering free samples. Said her elixir would help prevent the girls from catching any bugs. My gods… I should have tested a little bit of it on myself first before letting them drink it…"

"Vanessa?!" Alfyn cried in shock. "No… you don't think…"

"Do you still have the phial?" I questioned her. "If so, maybe Alfyn can get a better idea of what we're dealing with here."

Marlene shakily gestured to the kitchen counter where a nearly-empty phial laid on a paper towel. Alfyn moved in to get a closer look as did Primrose and I. There only looked to be a few droplets of the stuff left, but the smell…

"Mm… I recognize this aroma," Alfyn claimed with a pensive look on his face, taking a few more sniffs for good measure. "Gaborra evergreen… the most potent of all fever reducers."

Primrose raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Gaborra is a different continent from Orsterra altogether. How could anyone here have gotten their hands on this?"

"More importantly," I cut in, "are there any side effects?"

Alfyn stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, observing the tube closely. He found a label with exceedingly tiny writing and began to read it while squinting. "'A constituting compound has been known to cause inflammation of the throat, including severe coughing. The symptoms resemble those of the whooping cough known to plague the lance whence if hails. Due to the risk of severe and adverse reactions, use of Gaborra evergreen in any dosage is strongly discouraged'."

"... By the twelve gods and all that is sacred," Alfyn swore, nearly dropping the phial. "Vanessa… what have you done?!"

Marlene raised an eyebrow for a moment before her eyes slowly widened in horror. "Y-you mean to tell me… she intended for this to happen?!"

"Explains why she wouldn't tell you her little medicine secrets," I added, staring at the floor. "Frankly, I'm not surprised. She tried to peddle some of her poison to me just yesterday. Her being a snake of a businesswoman makes sense to me."

"That explains why she was selling the cure at such a ridiculous price," Alfyn said with a frown. "The cure for a sickness that she caused…!"

"She absolutely knew what she was doing," Primrose spat with disgust, shaking her head. "Reprehensible…"

"How could someone be so vile?" Olberic asked with venom in his voice, hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "It's simply inconceivable..."

The two children coughed violently once more, causing their mother to rush over to their side. "Oh, my babies… my sweet little babies…"

"How are we going to help them, Alfyn?" Primrose questioned him desperately, tearing her gaze away from the children.

Alfyn paused for a moment before speaking up. "... Vanessa."

"... What?"

"Vanessa's the one who poisoned all of these people," Alfyn explained quietly, though his furrowed brow and eyes revealed his true fury. "If she's selling the cure, that has to mean that she can  _un_ -poison them, right?"

I laughed bitterly. "Oh, right. So I suppose we can just waltz right up to her and ask politely? Hell, maybe Primrose can just seduce her into being a good person."

Primrose and Olberic shot me a dirty look as Alfyn, despite the situation, laughed slightly. "Heh… no, Therion. She's directly putting the lives of the people at risk. We… we have to confront her head on. Maybe she'll listen to reason. Maybe she won't. Either way, we just can't let her get away with this!"

"Okay, fine," Primrose agreed, "but even so… Where might we find her? It's going to get dark pretty soon…"

I clapped my hands together. "Leave it to me. With any luck, she might still be out and about in the town. I can climb onto the roof and see if I can spot her. Once I do, I can just trail her to her final destination. In the meantime, see if you two can get either Tressa or Cyrus to come along with us. Never hurts to have a full team together."

"For once," Alfyn said with a grin, "I like the way you think, Therion. Alright, Prim! Let's head back to the inn for now! Olberic, stay here and shoo away any suspicious-looking apothecaries!"

Olberic raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless.

Turning to Marlene, Alfyn assured, "Don't worry, we'll be back with a cure in no time!"

"Godspeed, Alfyn," the mother uttered quietly as we left the house in a hurry. "Godspeed..."


	12. Toxic Love Pt. 2

Marlene's house wasn't very tall, but it did have the advantage of being a literal hop and a skip from several local shops and other various buildings. I climbed my way onto the top of the house and swiftly dashed across the rooftops, my footsteps quiet as the night. I could see the cathedral from here, but little else in the way of relevance.

"No dice," I grumbled under my breath. "Great. Now what?"

Suddenly, I heard a couple of voices from just below the awning I was standing on top of. I shut my mouth and crept as low as I could without losing my balance or being detected.

"Oi! How much do you think Boss Hysel is payin' us this time?" a gruff voice questioned a bit too loudly.

"Shh! Pipe down, ya moron!" a second voice chided in an irritated whisper. "But if ya ask me, not nearly enough considering how we have to haul that Glowworm Moss all the way from Goldshore. You'd think with how much money she squeezes out of people that she could afford to give us a little more. Besides, why'd she even have to move her operation out here anyway? Goldshore has its name for a reason, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah… well, at least the Murkwood offers decent enough cover. Now quit yappin' and get the rest of the boys over there. It's time to earn our share."

"Right!"

I smirked. "How kind of them to stupidly discuss their plans in public. Now to find the others."

* * *

Within a few minutes, the party had gathered at the edge of the forest armed and ready. Alfyn and Primrose had gotten Tressa caught up to speed on the current situation, and the three of them met up with Olberic before running into me just on the outskirts of the Murkwood.

"This place again?" Tressa whined, rubbing her arm nervously as she shivered. "Bleh… I was kinda hoping we wouldn't have to go back in there anytime soon…"

"Ah, you'll live... Probably," I offered. Tressa merely stuck her tongue out at me in response. "How're Goldilocks and Katniss doing?"

"They're doing a little better," she said as we started walking through the murky forest cautiously. "Not by much, though. At least they can still breathe…"

Alfyn gave me a quizzical look. "You sure this is the place, Therion?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately, her cronies weren't  _that_ specific," I replied with a shrug, "so I guess we'll just have to torture the first guy we find for information."

Everyone stopped walking and glanced at me with repulsed expressions, Tressa looking the most horrified of all.

"... Kidding, kidding," I reassured them, sighing. "Geez... Doesn't anyone appreciate a little black comedy anymore?"

"Therion, you have a  _sick_ sense of humor!"

Our group of five continued to walk through the forest for what seemed like hours until we found a clearing in the forest. Hell, it might as  _well_  have been hours if the moonlight glimmering through the treetops was any indication. Part of me wished that I could just grab a sleeping bag and curl up under the stars with a chilly drink, but Tressa would probably nag my ears off.

We walked a little further before we heard a few voices up ahead. I hid behind a nearby tree instinctively and motioned for the others to do the same as we began to zero in on the conversation.

Peering out from behind our cover, we could see that Vanessa was in the middle of the clearing with multiple henchmen. Several large crates surrounded her, and the men in question seemed to be rearranging them for her.

"Put your backs into it, boys!" she barked, tapping her foot impatiently. "I'm not paying you to slack off."

One grunt fired back, "You're hardly paying us at all!"

"Ahuhu… fair enough. Now mush, you lazy bums!"

"What a despicable woman," Tressa growled under her breath, sharing a tree with me. "Peddling poison just to sell the cure at inflated prices? This is a new level of horrible business practices! She oughta be ashamed of herself! Why didn't you tell me  _this_ was the girl, Alf?!"

"Hey, I didn't know!" Alfyn whispered back harshly from his hiding spot. "I… I didn't know…"

Poor Alfyn. Probably the first girl he had ever fallen head over heels for, and she turns out to be a greedy psychopath who's more than willing to poison kids and then let them die if their mother can't pay up. If things weren't so dire, I might have laughed.

Doing his best to stay hidden behind another nearby tree, Olberic turned to Primrose. "Stay behind me, lass. There's no telling what manner of unkindness that woman might bring forward."

The dancer merely giggled with an almost sinister tone, twirling her dagger. "I can handle myself, Olberic. I dare say I'm looking forward to this…"

"Alright," I whispered to everyone, "on the count of three, we rush in there, take out the henchmen, and get Vanessa to spill the beans on making a cure. Alfyn, you with us?"

But there was no response.

I looked back at where Alfyn had been and saw that he was now walking right into the forest clearing like it was nothing. Olberic and Primrose followed him closely, a hand on the hilt of their blades.

"Damn it all," I cursed under my breath as Tressa ran in after them. "So much for that…"

"Hey!" Alfyn yelled, making sure that Vanessa could hear him.

Vanessa twirled around in shock at his voice, instantly taking on her false persona. "Alfyn! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Don't," he commanded with a harsh glare, raising a hand. "Just… don't. I know what you did, and  _you_ know what you did, so don't even act like things are peachy keen between us."

"Alfyn - "

"How could you?!" he cried, balling his fists. "All those people you poisoned… and for what? Some money? No amount of money is worth a person's life!"

"That's right!" Tressa yelled in agreement as the five of us stood opposite Vanessa and her henchmen. "What sort of evil person would do such a horrible thing?! Poisoning adults… and  _children_? Just…  _why_?!"

Vanessa's innocent wide-eyed look faded, leaving a dark smirk with piercing eyes in its stead. "If you think  _that's_  bad, wait until you hear about how I originally tested my brews on the local wildlife."

Olberic's eyes narrowed at her for a moment before widening in surprise. "... What?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised. Do you not practice swinging your sword before taking it into battle? It's the same concept," Vanessa explained in a cool, callous voice. "Birds, kittens, rabbits… to properly test the potency of my toxins, I had to build my way up to a human. 'Crawling before walking', as the old saying goes."

Tressa and Alfyn gasped as Primrose tightened her grip on her dagger, narrowing her eyes at the evil apothecary fiercely. Olberic stood silently for a moment, piecing her words together with a furrowed brow until coming to a conclusion.

"... It was you," he accused quietly, eyes ablaze with fury. Pointing his sword in her direction, he bellowed, "You poisoned Hrodvitnir, didn't you?! Answer me, you witch!"

"So what if I did?!" Vanessa snapped back in irritation, though she still wore a disturbing smile on her pale face. "Plenty of beasts in Orsterra as is. What does it matter if there's one less now?"

"It  _matters_ because we had to put it down, you monster!" Alfyn roared, tears in his eyes. "That poor wolf probably wouldn't have even attacked us if the poison in its system didn't drive it to! How could you do that, Vanessa? And then you poison the people of Saintsbridge just to make a quick buck?! What the hell is  _wrong_  with you?!"

"Alfyn… sweet, pathetic Alfyn," she sighed in an almost mournful fashion. "You really are hopeless, you know that? It's really almost adorable in a way…"

Alfyn clenched his fists, shaking as he glared her down. "No,  _you're_ pathetic. You're a disgusting swindler who hurts people for money. You're a disgrace to apothecaries everywhere, and I just can't stand by and let you ruin lives like this. Where's your sense of empathy? Don't you feel anything when you watch others suffer?"

"What, do you cry when you throw out a broken flask?" she taunted maliciously as she walked closer to him. The rest of us readied our weapons in anticipation. "No, you do not. Flasks are tools, Alfyn.  _People_ are tools. And when a tool is broken beyond repair or has otherwise failed to be of use any longer… you dispose of it."

"I can't believe I fell for you," Alfyn muttered with disgust, staring at the ground. "I might not be a master apothecary, but even I know there's no cure for a rotten heart."

"Oh shit," I blurted in shock, looking at the anger written on both of their faces.

"Yeah! You tell her, Alf!" Tressa cheered him on, twirling her spear as menacingly as she could with that baby face of hers.

"Ugh," Vanessa groaned, rolling her eyes before snapping her fingers. In an instant, multiple sellswords were at her side and several more appeared from the trees on either side of us. "You poor, poor fools… Is this really how you wish to die? Alone in a forest with only your so-called  _justice_ to comfort you in your final moments?!"

"If anyone should die tonight, it shall not be one of us," Olberic threatened as he clutched his blade with both hands, standing imposingly. "I shall say this only once, lads; lay down your arms and you shall be spared."

Vanessa practically howled with laughter at this, her guards doing the same. "You really think I would just give up and surrender when there's millions of leaves to be made? You must be out of your damn mind."

"Maybe," Alfyn said with a sniff. "Maybe we're all out of our minds here. But even so, I'll be  _damned_ before I let someone as vile as you walk free."

"Why, you insolent - !"

"Enough already!" I yelled impatiently, twirling my daggers in my hands and bouncing from left to right. "Talk is cheap; if you wanna fight, then let's do this!"

"Hmph. Fine! Grant them no quarter, men," Vanessa ordered angrily. Smirking once more, she added, "I'll see them all in pieces before the sun rises!"

Vanessa's sellswords immediately rushed at us from all sides as we took a defensive position, Olberic and Alfyn at the front and Tressa and myself at the rear. Primrose twirled around in the center, performing a powerful Mole Dance that fortified everyone's bodies and lifted our spirits some.

From there, all hell broke loose.

"Hiyah!" a grunt yelled as he lunged as me, thrusting his blade forward. I merely sidestepped him and took the opportunity to slash at him several times. "Oof!"

"It's always the small cuts that hurt the deepest, isn't it?" I taunted with a shit-eating grin.

This must have  _really_ pissed him off if his heavier, clumsier swings were any indication. Just as well; unfocused attacks meant an easier time for me.

"Gah… why… won't… you… stand… still?"

"It's called an Evasion stat. Look it up!"

I dodged another swing before crouching and sweeping his leg, sending him to the forest floor before plunging my dagger into his chest. Gruesome work, to be sure, but it was him or me.

"Oh, Therion, that's disgusting!" Tressa cried with a wince as she struck an approaching sellsword in the head with the blunt end of her spear. As he fell to the ground unconscious, she mumbled, "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize, you idiot, they're trying to kill you!" I yelled back as I kneed another merc in the stomach before kicking him away.

As Olberic and Alfyn kept our backs safe, two more sellswords leapt from the trees with swords in hand. The pair lunged at Tressa who instinctively thrust both of her hands forward and blasted them with unrelenting wind. Disoriented by the impact, they didn't see me coming when I pulled out my sword and swung it wildly at them, hacking into their bodies multiple times. Once I was done, the pair collapsed in a bloody heap of misery. I didn't have the power nor the finesse of Olberic, but it would have to do.

"... Okay,  _that_ was disgusting," Tressa retched, leaning over with her hand over her mouth. "I think I'm gonna Ralph!"

"HEY!" a grunt shouted from Olberic's side. "Don't used my name as a euphemism for barfing!"

"Sorry..."

Olberic and Alfyn continued to beat back the hopeless sellswords with their weapons, the harsh clang of metal ringing throughout the forest air. The hired helpers found themselves powerless against the combined might of the warrior and apothecary (mostly warrior), doubly so while Primrose was boosting their defenses.

"Hraagh!" Olberic bellowed, swinging his sword in front of him fiercely. Felling several grunts in one blow, he challenged, "Is that the best you have? Come! Break your weapons against me!"

Primrose huffed and puffed as she twirled yet again. "W-wow… You might not even need me around, Olberic."

Alfyn, meanwhile, was having a considerably more difficult time fighting the mercenaries with his sluggish axe swings. Never much cared for the weapon myself, really...

"Ack!" he uttered as a sword nicked his shoulder, causing him to nearly drop his axe. "Damn it! I knew I should have brought a lighter weapon along!"

"Alfyn!" Tressa shouted to him, barely giving him any time to react before she threw her spear towards him. "Here!"

The apothecary caught the longer weapon and nodded in thanks, and soon Alfyn found himself at a greater advantage in terms of speed and range. He found it much easier to parry attacks as a sellsword rushed at him. Once a blow had been deflected, Alfyn took the opportunity to jab his foe in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear before twirling it and impaling him through the chest with the tip.

"Damn… Urk... Koff..."

Vanessa, who had been sitting on one of her crates this whole time watching the fight unfold, merely gaped in awe at Alfyn's brutality.

"Hah!" Primrose screamed as she let loose a wave of dark magic in front of her, temporarily stunning several more sellswords.

Olberic and Alfyn wasted no time in cutting them down with sword and spear respectively as Tressa began picking at enemies from afar with her bow. The merchant's arrows briefly stunned the fighters, leaving them open to attack.

Vanessa was absolutely stunned at how easily her guardsmen were dropping as she stood in anger, fists trembling. I decided to use the window of opportunity to silently creep around the battlefield until I was right behind her with dagger in hand.

Pressing the dagger to her throat, I warned her, "Don't even think about doing anything stupid. You've already lost."

"Oh my," she cooed almost seductively. "Getting a little…  _presumptuous_ , aren't we?"

Before I could say anything, I felt a powerful pair of hands grab me and throw me off of her. Tumbling to the ground, I glanced up to see a large brute of a man with an axe lumbering over me.

"Be sure you chop this one up extremely well, Boris. I want to be able to fit him in a shoebox once this is over."

"With pleasure, milady!"

The giant with crazed eyes brought the axe down hard while I rolled to the side and leapt to my feet. Turning my head towards the others, I yelled, "Uh, guys? A little help here?!"

Having dispatched the last of the generic sellswords, Olberic and the others ran to my aid as Vanessa stepped into the background, fiddling with something in her satchel.

Olberic yelled confidently, "I can handle this one, go deal with Vanessa!"

As he blocked blow after blow from Boris, the rest of us scrambled to surround a suddenly very smug Vanessa.

"... What? Why are you smiling like that?" Primrose demanded, pointing her dagger in the wicked woman's direction.

"Who, me?" Vanessa replied with a coy smile. Reaching into her bag, she said, "Why, I'm not doing anything wrong…"

Before anyone could stop her, she pulled out a strange vial of black liquid and hurled it at our feet. The vial shattered instantly upon hitting the ground and a ghastly smell invaded our nostrils, causing us all to start coughing horribly.

"Y-you bitch," Primrose swore spitefully, an arm over her nose and mouth.. "What did you do…?"

My vision began to darken as I saw a blurry Olberic finish off Vanessa's final lackey by dismembering him at the wrist with a single stroke of his blade before impaling him through the chest. As the bleeding corpse-to-be fell to the ground, I began to hear voices… horrible, obnoxious,  _grating_ voices in my head.

" _Kee hee hee! Look at you now, Therion! Pathetic runt. We always knew you would amount to nothing!"_

" _We were right to abandon you, you sorry bastard! You should have died in the gutter where you belonged._

" _Aww, what's wrong, little Therion? Ya miss me? Does it still hurt where I cut you? Does it still tear at your soul?! Bahahaha!"_

"Nghh… shut up…!"

I couldn't even see the others as I descended further and further into my own anger, only being able to see vague human-like shapes in a reddish tint through the darkness. I didn't know who the first two voices belonged to, but the third filled me with a rage that I hadn't felt in a  _very_ long time.

"Grrr… rawr!" I growled, clutching both daggers once again. "Where are you, you bastard?! Come out here and fight me, you coward!"

I immediately lunged towards the first silhouette I could see and delivered a harsh slash to their side.

"Ouch, hey!" I heard a feminine voice cry.

"What the hell - Argh!"

I recoiled instantly as I felt the blunt end of a spear whack me in the gut, sending me sprawling. I could just barely hear who I think was Alfyn shout something to Tressa as Primrose, Olberic, and Vanessa squared off.

"This… koff… this should do the trick… Hah! Curative Mist!"

I felt a pleasant cool mist rain down on me that vaguely smelled like grapes with a hint of pomegranate thrown in the mix. My vision went back to normal as the horrid voices in my head began to quiet down enough for me to focus. Now aware of my surroundings again, I could see that Alfyn was wrapping gauze around Tressa's leg as the other two kept Vanessa occupied.

"Impossible! I spent weeks concocting that Horror Tonic!" the evil apothecary cried as she barely avoided a harsh slash from Olberic.

Vanessa soon found herself at a disadvantage now that the pair was fighting her at close range, and she had no choice but to pull out a dagger as Primrose closed in with her own. The dancer let out a fierce cry, slashing and jabbing away at her with vigor, as she twirled about with an air of grace and fury the whole time.

"Gack!" Vanessa uttered as Primrose slashed her cheek with her weapon, drawing blood.

Olberic took the opportunity to blindside her with the flat side of his sword, knocking her to the ground. As she scrambled onto her back, the strong knight pressed the tip of his blade to her neck menacingly, ending the fight.

"That's… quite… enough," Olberic uttered, sweating and panting profusely. "Urk… koff!"

"Olberic!" Alfyn and Primrose yelled as they ran to his side, Tressa limping closer to me.

"Aah… d-did we win?" she shakily asked, practically falling onto me for support as she placed her arm around my shoulder and stood on her good leg.

Seeing that Vanessa had been unarmed and cornered, I replied, "Y-Yeah… I think so…"

As Primrose kept Olberic on his feet, Alfyn walked over to the pair and handed them both some much needed tonics. Turning to Vanessa, his soft expression hardened once more. "End of the road for you, Miss  _Hysel_. Even the most vile of your concoctions couldn't keep us down."

Vanessa panted quietly as she scowled at him with messy hair. "Is… is that right? You really think you've won, do you? I don't think you realize just how  _damning_ the long-term effects of Fearomone gas can be on such a fragile young mind such as yours…"

Once Tressa was back on her feet, I let go of her and kneeled onto the forest ground, hacking up the remnants of my dinner. So  _that_ was what she had done to me…

"Nightmare gas, huh…?" Alfyn questioned as he looked at me concerningly before turning back to Vanessa. "Then how come the rest of us are alright?"

"Do you not understand what  _long-term_ means, you fool? Some minds are more susceptible than others… at first," she spat with toxin in her words. "Mark my words; you'll all suffer night terrors for weeks to come!"

"..."

"... Well, what are you waiting for?!" Vanessa demanded as she glared at all of us. The tip of Olberic's blade stayed pointed directly at her jugular. "If you're going to kill me, then do it already. I have no more words for you."

Alfyn merely frowned and shook his head. Reaching into his bag and carefully pulling out a black thorn, he said, "No can do, Vanessa. You've hurt a lot of people, and I'm sure the authorities will want  _more_  than a few words with you."

Vanessa's eyes widened in horror as Olberic and Primrose held her arms tightly, keeping her from getting away as she kicked frantically. "Wh-what are you doing?! Let me go! Don't you dare use that on me!"

Alfyn callously grabbed her hand and pricked her index finger with the thorn, drawing blood.

"No… d-damn you, Alfyn… this isn't over… zzz…"

Vanessa collapsed almost instantly, snoring heavily as she slept.

"Slumberthorn," Alfyn spoke up, practically reading my mind. "Fast acting, potent, and sure to cause nightmares powerful enough to make even the most heartless of sinners change their ways."

My jaw dropped at the revelation. "Geez..."

"How are you feeling, big guy?" Primrose asked Olberic, patting him on the back softly. "You took a lot of hits for us back there…"

The warrior smiled gently, coughing for a brief moment before continuing. "The pain will subside, Primrose.. I trust everyone is alright?"

Tressa groaned, giving me a dirty look as she swatted my arm. "Therion, what the heck?! We're supposed to be on the same team here, you know!"

"Huh?"

"My leg, dummy," she pointed out peevishly, gesturing to a gauze-wrapped appendage. "Your daggers might be small, but they still hurt!"

Olberic's calm demeanor quickly changed to one of protectiveness as he broke away from Primrose to focus on us. "He cut you?!"

"N-now hold on!" I argued nervously. "It was an accident! I thought she was… I mean, when Vanessa used her fear gas, she… I thought you were…"

Tressa pouted, jabbing my chest with her finger. "Yeah, well, you're  _lucky_ we have a doctor in the house, bub!"

"He's right, y'all," Alfyn stood up for me as he looked us all over for serious injuries. "I read about this in a book once. The ingredients for Fearomone Gas are hard to come by, but just a whiff can send anyone into a panicked frenzy."

"Then how come none of us started freaking out?" Tressa asked curiously. "I mean, it smelled  _horrible_ , but I can't remember seeing or hearing anything…"

Primrose said nothing, but stared at a sleeping Vanessa with pure hatred in her eyes as she gripped her dagger tightly.

Alfyn walked over to Vanessa's thankfully undamaged crates and carefully pried one open. Sure enough, there was blue Glowworm Moss inside; probably more than any of us could carry by ourselves.

"This… this is beautiful," Alfyn said with a small chuckle. "If I can mash up some grapes and mix this in… and then add some plum essence… yeah, yeah! Ladies and gents, we've found our cure!"

Tressa's eyes lit up as she beamed at him, no longer worried about her leg. "You really think so, Alf?"

"Believe it! All we gotta do now is hightail it back to the inn so I can get to work brewing it all together," our apothecary reassured us. "Can y'all help me bring some of this moss back?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, shaking off the pain of the last battle. Turning to a snoozing Vanessa, I asked, "Still… What about her?"

Olberic stood up, frowning. "Let us bring her back to Saintsbridge, that she may face justice. I can imagine H'aanit will especially be pleased at this outcome."

"Yeah," Alfyn agreed, "some time in the gaol is sure to straighten her out."

Primrose gave the boys a confused and slightly agitated glance. "Really?"

"What? What'd I say?"

"This woman clearly would have stopped at nothing to have us all dead, and she poisoned all of those people in Saintsbridge! … Don't you think she's a little too dangerous to be left alive?"

"Primrose!" Tressa gasped in shock.

"I… kinda agree with Prim, actually," I admitted, getting some surprised looks from the other three. "I mean, think about it for a second. Vanessa  _clearly_ isn't a stranger to this whole thing if she can poison this many people and nearly get away with it. Lots of people paid for the cure, sure, but what about the people that didn't? And for  _that_ matter, who's to say she hasn't done this before? What if she's killed people, you guys?"

The others took in my words for a few moments, standing in silence. Primrose nodded with a grim expression as a wide-eyed Tressa bit her fingernails, and Olberic looked at a distraught Alfyn with pity and concern in his steely eyes.

"I… but… W-Well, what's the alternative?!" Alfyn blurted shakily. "We kill her while she can't even defend herself? How would that make us any better than her?"

"Hey, I didn't hear you crying when you stabbed all those other guys," I argued, gesturing to the many bodies lying scattered on the forest floor.

"That was different," he stated firmly, closing his eyes. "Those men… they attacked us first. Believe me, Therion, I would have rather spared 'em too, but…"

"Look, I know that Vanessa was your girlfriend for like a day, but - "

"She's  _not_ my girlfriend, Therion!" Alfyn roared, clenching his fists as everyone flinched at the noise. "She never was! And even if she was, I  _still_ wouldn't hesitate to hand her over to the authorities. Honestly, now... I get that you're a thief, but - "

Anger flashed in my eyes as I took leave of my composure. "Don't you  _dare_ finish that sentence. You think I like the idea of putting a defenseless person down? Well, I don't; it's part of the reason why I only  _stole_ to survive, not  _murdered people_ to survive. I'm just trying to think ahead here. What if she somehow escapes and wreaks more havoc on another town? "

"How do we know for a fact that she will?" Alfyn shot back quietly. "Doesn't she at least deserve to stand trial for her crimes? We didn't have a choice when dealing with her hired help, but we  _do_ have a choice now."

Everyone stood silently for a few moments, taking in the severity of the situation, before I finally broke the silence.

"Tch… Alright, fair enough. It's your call, chief," I conceded with a shrug. "I just really hope I don't have to be the one who says, 'I told you so'."

Alfyn smiled. "Thank you, Therion. And… I'm sorry, for what I said about you being a thief - "

"I mean, you're not wrong."

"You  _know_ what I meant!"

"Yeah, yeah… let's just get going already," I sighed. "We've all earned a few drinks tonight.

"No can do, Therion," Alfyn denied, shaking his head. "We gotta get back to Saintsbridge and save everyone!"

Turning to Primrose with earnest eyes, he asked, "Prim, can you and Olberic carry Vanessa to the gaol in Saintsbridge while the rest of us haul some of this moss back to the inn?"

"It shall be done!"

"Hmph… alright," the dancer relented with a sigh of her own. "Just be safe on your way out of the forest, Alfyn…"

As the odd pair lifted the sleeping apothecary, the rest of us stuffed as much moss as we could into our pockets and bags before following them out of the forest. With any luck, Alfyn could cook up a cure yet...

* * *

Once Alfyn had gathered all of the ingredients he needed, he and Cyrus got to work right away on making a cure. While they worked tirelessly through the night, the rest of us patched up each other's wounds and kept an eye on a still-ailing Ophilia and H'aanit, Linde not once leaving her mistress's side.

"Ow, that stings!"

"Tressa, I can't apply the healing cream if you keep squirming like that…"

"But it huuuuurts, Primmy!"

"Sheesh," I groaned, partially out of guilt but mostly out of annoyance. Turning from my spot on the bed, I saw Alfyn hunched over at the inn room desk and asked, "How's it comin' along, Doc?"

"Just a little more," Alfyn mumbled as he sprinkled some essence into a flask. He shook it in a circle carefully for a few moments before the concoction turned a bright blue color. With a smile, Alfyn crooned, "Perfect…"

"Incredible!" Cyrus congratulated, jotting some notes down. "Truly magnificent. I dare say, my boy, you could very well have been among the brightest of all chemistry students at the Academy!"

"Heh… Gee, thanks, Professor," Alfyn chuckled bashfully.

"But does it work?" I cut in before casually biting into a plum I had stolen from a townsperson.

Alfyn gave his miracle medicine a hopeful gaze as the glass gleamed in the candlelight. "Only one way to find out… Tressa, is that medicine dropper still in my bag?"

"You mean the squeezy-sucky thing?"

Ophilia looked up from her resting place with an adorable and utterly baffled look on her face. "The…  _What?_ "

Alfyn nodded, still eyeing his flask. "That should be the one, yeah. Can one of y'all bring it here for me?"

"I'm on it," I said as I stood up and walked over to Tressa. The little merchant was examining the tool closely for a minute before I snatched it from her and brought it over to the desk. "Here you go. Mind the munchkin fingerprints."

"My leg might be injured, but my ears can work just fine!" Tressa yelled with a scowl, inadvertently waking up a sleeping H'aanit. "Oops… sorry, H'aani!"

Using the dropper doohickey, our apothecary cautiously extracted some of the purple fluid from the container before walking over to Ophilia and H'aanit's bedsides.

"Just a few drops should be enough. Open wide, you two!"

The patients did as they were told as Alfyn's miracle cure made its way into their systems. I didn't really know all the science of it, but they were sitting up talking within minutes with only the occasional cough.

"I… wow," Ophilia gasped, a hand over her heart in surprise. "I feel much better already!"

Tressa bounced over to her and pressed the back of her hand to the cleric's forehead. "Wow! Your fever's even gone down, Phili!"

"It seems we truly haven a miracle worker among us," H'aanit remarked with pride as Linde sat up to cuddle her mistress. Grinning at Alfyn, the huntress said, "Thank you, Alfyn. The gods smilen upon you today."

Alfyn chuckled, his cheeks slightly red. "Y'all flatter me, haha. I just hope that the rest of the town reacts the same way to the medicine. I hear the cough's even spread to the cathedral!"

"Oh, no!" Ophilia squeaked worriedly, covering her mouth. "Y-you'd better get going!"

I turned to Alfyn. "I don't suppose you've got any more of those baster tools lying around? We could split up and hit more sick houses that way."

"Therion, I like the way you think!" he shouted with a grin. "There should be some spares in Zeph's bag…"

"Who? And besides, I thought it was  _your_ bag."

"Aha! Here we go," Tressa said, pulling out two more basters and throwing them at me. I glared at her as she cheered, "Alright! We'll have the whole town cured in no time!"

"Then let us be off," Cyrus suggested, smiling. "With any luck, there should be enough for everyone!"

"Right!"

* * *

The sun had risen once again on the streets of Saintsbridge as many a resident was cheering and prancing about in the streets. The truth had come out regarding Vanessa's schemes, the people's money was returned to them, and everyone was finally healed of her horrid "Gaborra whooping cough" disease.

Currently, our lot was relaxing in the famous town square after a few hours spent running around saving everyone's lives.

Tressa took in a deep breath and sighed dreamily. "Do you smell that, you guys? That's the fragrance of a happy and healthy city!"

My nose crinkled in disgust. "Would have thought that happiness and health would smell a bit better than this…"

"Well, I'm just glad everyone's alive and thriving once again," Ophilia claimed with a cheerful smile, turning to Alfyn. "You really saved us, you know. Not just H'aanit and I - "

"H'aanit and  _me_ , Ophilia," Cyrus chimed in, getting a playful swat from Primrose in the process.

"... but all of Saintsbridge," Ophilia finished as she gazed into his eyes, grabbing his hands. "From the bottom of my heart… thank you, Alfyn."

"A-Ah!" Alfyn blurted, the blood rushing to his face. "It was nothin', Phili! Haha…"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bottle of ale from the ground, taking another hearty swig from it. "Hmph… "

"U-um, excuse me… Alfyn?"

Everyone was surprised to see a group of five kids standing around, each of them holding something behind their backs. Sure enough, it was those three boys that Ophilia had helped out and those two redheaded girls that Alfyn had patched up this morning.

Ophilia perked up at the sight. "Oh! Is that you, Emil? And Derryl and Nate too!"

"Ellen, Flynn, hey!" Alfyn greeted kindly. "Fancy meeting y'all here! Need a checkup?"

Ellen giggled. "No, silly! We have something for you."

"Aww, really? You guys didn't have to do that… I'm just glad that everyone is healthy again. That's what I'm here for, after all!"

"Still!" Emil insisted excitedly. "I think you're gonna like this, mister. It was the girls' idea too!"

"Emil, hush!" Flynn chastised him. "On the count of three, everyone! One… two… three!"

My eyes were assaulted by various different shades of pink and blue and white as a multitude of flower crowns were shown off to us.

"Surprise!" Ellen cheered, walking forward with the other kids. "We made you these!"

"Wow!" Tressa cooed as she received a crown. "They're so pretty! And they smell divine!"

Primrose smiled at the children. "This is a pleasant surprise…"

"I am not so sure that pink suits me," Olberic stumbled over his words as he reluctantly accepted a crown. "Even so… my humble thanks."

I could only fold my arms and sigh as a flower crown was placed on my head. I caught Ophilia and some of the others giggling at me, but I was too tired to start a fuss.

"You guys are the best, you know that?" Alfyn asked with an earnest smile as a white crown was placed upon his head. "I… I'm touched…"

"Alfyn, aren thou… crying?"

"N-n-no! I'm not cryin'," he lied, wiping a tear away. "Not!"

"He totally is!" Flynn gasped. "Grown-ups aren't supposed to cry!"

"But I'm  _not_ ," Alfyn protested. "I…"

Suddenly, he broke out into song. " _I'm not cryin'/It's just been rainin'/On my face_  - "

"Oh, no. No, no,  _no_. I did  _not_ sign on for a musical," I stated flatly. "Also, that's copyrighted. See you in court."

"Hey, I know you!" Derryl cried, pointing at me. "You're the Brooch Fairy!"

"I'm…  _What_?!"

"Yeah! You're the one that put my mum's brooch under my pillow the other night. I thought I heard footsteps!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I rebuked as the others glanced back and forth between us. "Look, I've already gotten my maximum recommended dose of crazy today. I gotta run."

"Therion," Ophilia pleaded with sad eyes.

"No, I mean it. There's… something I need to do before we head out."

"Well, okay… Just behave yourself!"

I gave her a dismissive hand wave as I sauntered out of the town square. It had been quite some time since I'd been back here, but I just had to know if the place was still there…

* * *

Well, I never in my life thought I'd be breaking  _into_ a gaol, but I also never thought that I'd be traveling with another person, let alone seven.

Getting past the guards was easy enough; most of them had taken the day off to rejoice with their families. Finding the specific sect of the prison, on the other hand…

After a few more minutes of skulking about, I found the exact same jail cell that I had briefly - and I mean  _very_ briefly - called home.

"Cell A113," I muttered, gazing nostalgically at the interior. "Occupied then, occupied now."

"H-hey!" the red-haired man called from inside the cell, gripping the bars desperately despite his shackles. "You gotta let me outta here, man. I'm tellin' you, they got the wrong guy!"

I rolled my eyes, unimpressed. "Please. You got yourself in there, I'm sure you can get yourself out."

"Snobby prick. You're just like that new girl!"

"Who now?"

A sinister voice snarked from the cell behind me. "He's referring to me, you ninny."

Turning, I saw Vanessa in all of her wicked purple-haired evilness sitting in the middle of the cell. Like the man before her, shackles adorned her wrists and ankles, preventing her from doing much. I guess security really got an upgrade in the last ten years…

"Well, I never thought I'd say this, but… it's good to see you, Vanessa," I joked with a smile.

"What are  _you_ doing here?" she spat in disgust, head bowed. "Come to mock me, thief?"

"Actually, I was here to take a trip down Memory Lane. Now that you mention it, though…"

"Ugh… I should have killed you all when I had the chance," Vanessa sighed, nothing but remorse in her voice. "Now look at me… all my riches… all my possessions… gone."

"Riveting. Maybe now you'll find an honest line of work," I suggested.

"You're a damn hypocrite and you know it!" she barked back at me. I had to thank the gods that none of the guards appeared to be present. "That Alfyn and his godsforsaken slumberthorn... Do you know how horrifying that experience was for me?! All those screams... all those dead people..."

"... Does this mean you sincerely regret your actions?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I doubt it, but - "

I was interrupted by the sound of sobbing coming from the purple-haired woman. Her shoulders seemed to shake as her entire body was wracked with sadness.

... Or so I thought.

As quickly as she had started crying, Vanessa threw her head back and let out a piercing laugh that rang throughout the center. I had to cover my ears as she screeched and howled for a few more moments before finally calming back down.

"That... I honestly needed that laugh," she said between bouts of panting, her hair loose and her irises shrunken with madness. "Oh, what I'm going to do to all of you when I get out of this hellhole. You're going to  _wish_ that you were dead before I'm done with you! And Alfyn... oh, sweet Alfyn... I think I'll save him for last! Yes... I'll break his spirit, and  _then_ I'll break every last bone in his body...!"

Not gonna lie, seeing and hearing Vanessa in this state kinda put me on edge. Sure, she was bound in a cell with no chance of getting out anytime soon, but...  _still_.

I turned away from her to face the scraggly red-haired man in his own cell, keeping my cool. "I am so sorry you have to deal with her. Honestly I was banking on her biting the dust in battle."

"Eh, no worries, mate. I've had worse inmates to look at in my time…"

"Ugh," Vanessa groaned in utter disgust. "Not even if you were the last man in all of Orsterra, you filthy mutt!"

"Heh," I chuckled under my breath, turning to walk out of the sect. "Right. Well, I'll just leave you two to your devices. Or lack thereof, in this case. Later."

I exited the hall and rounded a corner only to come face-to-face with a guard that looked surprised to see anyone in here at all. He was fairly older than me, and all-too familiar to boot.

Eyes widening, he stammered, "Y-you… you're…!"

I shoved a fist into his stomach, causing him to bend over. I dropped my elbow down onto his spine, knocking him to the ground, and continued to stomp his head until he fell unconscious.

"That's for punching me in the gut, asshole." Abandoning him, I made my way down the halls and back out the window I had entered from.

I ran a fair distance away from the gaol, making sure no one spotted me, before resting under a tree. My heart was pounding against my ribcage as I slunk to the ground, knees against my chest.

"Arghh… damn him," I swore under my breath, fighting back hot tears. "Damn both of them…!"

I inwardly thanked the gods once more that no one was around to see me like this. Getting caught stealing was one thing; getting caught doing something like  _this_ was just… no. Completely out of the question.

I stood up, wiping my tears away with my scarf. I never liked holding pity parties, and hopefully I could just blame any puffy red eyes on the lack of sleep from the night in the forest. The others would probably be looking for me soon, so I figured it best to head back to the square.

"... No," I sighed as my hands dug into my pockets. "Not yet. I'm not nearly drunk enough for that..."


	13. On the Road Again

It was about noon when I finally decided to rejoin the others in the square. The only ones who were still there were Ophilia and H'aanit; everyone else had gone back to the inn for a quick nap before we left Saintsbridge behind.

"I'm really going to miss this town," Ophilia muttered wistfully, staring at the ground from her spot on the bench. "We haven't been here that long, but we've made so many friends in such a short amount of time… It's saddening to have to say goodbye so soon."

H'aanit nodded silently as she knelt down to stroke a sleeping Linde. "... Indeed."

"Tch…"

"I'm surprised you're not napping with the others, Therion," Ophilia remarked. Her brow was furrowed in an almost suspicious manner as she stared at me with slightly concerned eyes. "You were with Alfyn and the others last night, were you not? You must be quite exhausted…"

Goldilocks had a point; I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since the previous night, and that coupled with the forest skirmish was starting to take its toll on me. Even so, there was still the matter of Vanessa's "night terrors" as she put it. The voices during the battle were bad enough already. Did I  _really_ need a second helping of that?

"I don't know what you're talking about. I feel fine," I brushed her off, casually leaning on the bench.

H'aanit stood up and walked closer to me, sizing me up as if I was a forest critter mere moments from becoming her dinner. "Therion, your eyes coulde put Redeye to shame! You needen bed rest."

I raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "Redeye? What the hell is that? And I already told you both I'm fine. Sleep is highly overrated anyway - "

In an instant, I felt my legs give out from under me. The huntress rushed over to my side and grabbed me before I hit the ground, my arms flying around her neck out of instinct. I heard Ophilia gasp as H'aanit helped me stand up again, and the huntress glared down at me in unamusement as I hastily retracted my arms.

"Therion, goeth to bed right this moment or I shall taken you back to the inn myself."

"... Got it," I mumbled, not meeting her gaze. My cheeks felt hot as Ophilia gazed at me with a confused and slightly flustered look. "Uh… sorry. Bedtime it is, then."

I spun on my foot and made my way back to the inn without another word, slipping into my bed in our room. Everyone else, as expected, was snuggled comfortably in their sheets as they rested up.

Guess a few minutes of rest couldn't hurt...

* * *

" _Did ya see the look on 'is face, mate?"_

_I laughed, tossing an apple up and down in my hand. "Never even knew what hit him!"_

_A cool breeze filled the night sky as Darius and I sat by the river bank on the outskirts of a small town called Clearbrook. The place seemed like a quiet enough place with decent, unassuming folk._

_All the easier to steal from._

_My partner in crime chuckled, causing his long red hair to shake all about him. "Therion, my boy, you've only gotten better and better since I first picked you up! How long have we been runnin' together, eh?"_

" _Not long enough," I joked, pausing to bite into an apple. "Om… two yeahs now, innit?"_

" _Now you're startin' to sound a bit like me!" he exclaimed with a cheeky grin. "Heh, yeah… man, lookit us. A couple a handsome devils like us could run the streets of Orsterra in no time at all!"_

" _Bold words for someone who only recently turned seventeen…"_

" _Still got ya beat by two years, little buddy," he taunted, winking with a smirk. "You know, Theri, these two years have been some of the best of my life. Can't ever recall havin' a partner as skilled or as fun to be around as you before, mate."_

_I paused, taken aback by his sudden praise. "I… w-wow… I don't really know what to say…"_

_He laughed again, shoulders shaking. "You don't have to say anythin'. Just keep doin' what you're doin' and we'll go far in this life, mate. And don't be stingy with your lockpicks, haha!"_

_The two of us laughed before turning our attention to the river before us, the moonlight bouncing off of the surface. The flowing water should have put me at ease, but… why did my chest feel so tight all of a sudden? Why did -_

_Suddenly, all of my memories came flooding back as I was flung several years into the future. Our first run in with the Cianno gang. The time we got our revenge on them. That night in Noblecourt. The heist that went bad._

_Oh… oh, GODS how it went bad…_

_And that's not even getting into what he did to ME…_

" _Darius, what… why…?"_

" _Sorry, tea leaf. Happy landings!"_

* * *

"... rion…"

"He… Ther…"

"Therion!"

I exhaled as I sat up in bed, panting and gasping for air. My lungs felt the uncomfortable yet familiar sensation of being filled with water, and I resisted the urge to vomit as I sensed eyes on me.

"Therion!" Tressa yelled, grabbing my face roughly and gazing into my eyes in fear. "Snap out of it!"

"Wha… koff… wh-what?" I barely managed to utter before pulling her hands away from me. "The hell…?"

"You were havin' a nightmare, buddy," Alfyn sighed, motioning for Tressa to step aside so he could check my forehead with his hand. "Hmm… a little warm, but you're not exactly burnin' up here…"

Cyrus offered me a glass of water from my left side, causing me to recoil slightly. "Come now, Therion; it's important to stay hydrated at all times. Surely a sip wouldn't hurt?"

"I… thanks," I uttered, taking the glass and eyeing it for a moment before drinking from it.

"Therion," Tressa cooed sadly, staring at me. "... What happened?"

Feeling my usual self bubbling back to the surface, I snarked, "What, you mean you  _don't_ wake up like that every morning? What kind of life are you living?"

"Okay, okay, geez! Sorry for being concerned about you," she complained, folding her arms and turning away from me.

"Quite odd, really," Cyrus admitted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Olberic and Primrose both awoke in similar states of panic not too long ago, but not nearly to this extent…"

"Meanwhile, Tressa and I couldn't remember having nightmares at all," Alfyn mused quietly as he sat at the foot of my bed.

"Perhaps that Vanessa's fear gas operates differently based on the victim's innate fears and experiences? Olberic and Primrose have both experienced some troubling hardships in their past, and I can only assume Therion has as well."

I kept my mouth shut, mulling it over. I didn't know Olberic all that well yet, but Prim… yeah, she's definitely been through a lot. Maybe even more than me. Can't imagine the likes of Alfyn and Tressa have ever been mistreated and abused in such a way before, let alone thrown off a cliff…

Tressa walked back over to my side and eyed me curiously. "So… What was it about, Therion?"

"... Nothing," I lied, turning my head away from her moodily.

Annoyingly enough, she just walked over to the other side of the bed and met my eye again. "Y'know, somehow I don't really believe you…"

I smiled bitterly at her. "I appreciate your concern  _ever so much,_ Miss Capitalism, but it really is nothing. That is to say, nothing of your concern. So let's just leave it at that and call it a day, shall we?"

"But Therion - "

"Tress," Alfyn gently scolded her, a hand on her shoulder. Shaking his head, he said, "It's best not to badger him right now. Maybe he'll open up later if he feels like it. Maybe he won't. For now, we should just start packing up since everyone's finally awake."

"Mrg… fine," she agreed with a huff, giving me a look of slight irritation as I smirked. "... Sorry about your nightmare, Therion."

"Tch… whatever," I replied, hopping off of the bed and gathering my possessions. "I'll meet you guys outside. Could use the fresh air…"

* * *

Truth be told, I had no idea where we were going. Once we had left Saintsbridge behind, Tressa and Olberic expressed interest in a sizable town up north called Victors Hollow. I couldn't really recall visiting the place before, but all I knew was that it was a long walk from Marsalim.

"Or was it Wellspring…?"

"Did you say something, Therion?" Primrose questioned me as we continued to walk up the stony path.

"Ah, no," I responded quietly. "No, it's nothing… just how much farther is this place, anyway?"

Cyrus slowed his pace to walk alongside us, map outstretched in his hands. "Mm… I'm afraid we're only about halfway there, my slippery companion. At this rate, we're unlikely to reach our destination before the sun sets."

"Great…"

Tressa gave me a playful punch to the shoulder. "Oh, come on, Therion! Lighten up a little. Things could be a lot worse! And who doesn't mind a little camping from time to time? All we need now is a little mood music to pass the time!"

"No… please," I genuinely pleaded with her, my heart filling with dread. "Have mercy!"

The next couple of song-filled hours were some of the most loathsome of my entire life. We'd made some progress and fought off some monsters along the way, but no amount of loot could remove the pain and misery that had been engraved into my very soul.

"Tressa," Olberic spoke at last, "far be it from me to judge, but… Might we stop for a bit?"

"Huh? But there's still fifty-five bottles of ale on the wall…"

H'aanit sighed in exasperation. "I believen he was referren to the walk."

In truth, we  _had_ walked a pretty long distance over the past couple of hours. I really don't think that the heat combined with most of the gang's singing did much to help. If anything, it just tired everyone out  _more_.

"Perhaps a proper rest is in order," Primrose suggested as Alfyn and Ophilia nearly collapsed from exhaustion. "Just until we regain our strength back a bit…"

Tressa huffed and puffed as we reached a relatively large patch of grass on the side of the road. Leaning forward with her hands on her knees, she mumbled, "Hah… Yeah… that might be a good idea after all. Okay, everyone! Break time!"

Everyone sighed in relief as we set our bags on the ground, some of us even collapsing onto the grass altogether.

"Hmm…"

"What is it, H'aanit?" Primrose questioned the huntress, looking over at her.

"It woulde appear we art runnen out of provisions," she declared as she rummaged through her bag. I guess it made sense that she of all people would carry the food, being a hunter and all. "I must hunten with haste, that we shall not starven!"

"Good luck with that," I muttered, slumping to the ground in exhaustion.

"Wouldst thou caren to join me, Therion?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

Tressa cleared her throat in an exceedingly obnoxious way, shooting me a look. "Hunting sure sounds like a great way to bond.  _Right_ , Therion?"

I sighed, hand over my face. "No, but I get the feeling you're gonna make me go anyway…"

"In that case, I should go with you two," Ophilia said as she stood up straight. "No hunting party would be complete without a healer!"

"Very well," H'aanit agreed, "but we must limit ourselves to three. Any more woulde spook our prey."

Olberic nodded with a smile. "Excellent. In the meanwhile, perhaps the rest of us should set up camp for the night."

"But it's still daytime," Tressa whined.

"Get to it, Greenie," I taunted before standing up to follow H'aanit and Ophilia.

"HEY! That's Green  _Pea_  to you, mister!" she fired back. The little merchant paused for a moment, thinking, before a look of disgust crossed her face. "Eww… Forget it!"

I smirked as H'aanit led the way into a nearby forest. With any luck, we could bag a deer or a bear or… something.

* * *

"Frogs. We're hunting  _frogs_ of all things…"

"Hush, Therion," H'aanit scolded as we crouched in the bushes, quietly stalking our prey. Out by the river bank, we spotted three River Frogens. I'll never understand how frogs became smart enough to wear armor, let alone carry  _daggers_ , but...

Still crouching, the huntress drew her bow in an almost effortless fashion, an arrow already nocked on her bowstring. Ophilia and I kept our mouths shut as H'aanit aimed her bow directly at one of the Froggens that had paused to take a drink. The huntress patiently waited for its head to come back up from the river before releasing her arrow.

Her target slumped over to the ground, an arrow in its skull, and the other two frogs reacted appropriately enough.

By looking straight in our direction.

Still, they were no match for H'aanit, who merely launched a couple of arrows at their froggy heads. They dropped dead, and H'aanit walked over to examine them when she was sure the coast was clear.

"Wow," Ophilia whispered to me as we followed her. "I had no idea hunting could be so grotesque…"

"Pfft. What did you think she was gonna do, beg them to die peacefully so she could cook 'em?"

"Well. No need to be rude."

H'aanit looked over at us and smiled, a Froggen slung over each of her shoulders. "We shall eaten well tonight, my companions. Come, helpen me carren the last one back to camp."

Ophilia and I took note of its slimy texture before exchanging a look of disgust. "... Do we have to?"

"Does it looke like I haven three arms?"

"Ughhh," I groaned as I lifted half of the dead frog. "Who's been feeding these damn things, anyway?"

Ophilia sighed in dismay as she lifted the other half and we began to follow H'aanit back to the campsite. "The poor things… at least their souls can rest now."

"Huff… seriously? You think these beasts have souls?"

" _All_ beasts do, Therion," the huntress shot back, turning to look at me.

"Really now?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes. "What makes you so sure?"

"I can speaken to them."

"... You're joking."

"Nay."

"Sure, H'aanit. If you can talk to them, why are you okay with hunting and eating them?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"'Tis the circle of life, Therion," she explained as we arrived back at camp where the others were waiting. "In S'warkii, we were taught to treat beasts as sacred creatures. You may hunten them for food or for clothing in dire times, but never for sport. Sadly, not everyone views them in such a manner…"

There was a twinge of sadness to her voice as we laid the large frogs down, and H'aanit immediately got to work with her hunting knife.

"You guys brought… Froggens?" Tressa squeaked, nearly turning green at the thought of eating frog flesh.

"That we did, young Tressa. The gods have truly blessed us on this night."

"That's crazy! Who in their right mind would eat frogs?!"

Alfyn walked over to where H'aanit was carving up the meat and grinned. "Oh, boy! I haven't had Roast Froggen in forever!"

Tressa's jaw dropped as Ophilia and Primrose exchanged funny looks.

I chuckled bitterly, shaking my head. "Sorry if it's not up to your standards, Princess. Best she could do on such short notice."

"Mrg…!"

"Ahh," Alfyn sighed blissfully as he held his hands out close to the campfire I had lit. "There's nothin' quite like a warm fire on a cool starry night. The only thing that could make this night any better would be some ale!"

"Seeing as alcohol is a rather flammable substance," Cyrus cut in, "I'm frankly relieved we don't appear to have any at the moment…"

"No, I agree with Alf. What's a peaceful night under the stars without a little booze?" I joked, cracking a weary grin.

"Now you're speakin' my language, Therion!" Alfyn cheered as he moved towards me, hugging my frame. "C'mere!"

"H-Hey, hands off!"

Tressa let out a tiny giggle as the rest looked on in amusement. Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise pierced the air. "... Oh…"

H'aanit wasted no time in seasoning the meat she had just carved up. She then impaled pieces on sticks and handed some to everyone, and we took turns roasting them over the fire.

The meat tasted… funny. Not  _bad_ , per se, just… different. It was soft in texture and tasted almost like a weird hybrid of chicken and fish. I looked around and saw that everyone had varying facial expressions, some more satisfied than others. H'aanit leaned over and let Linde try some of the food, and the snow leopard scarfed it down quickly.

"A strange texture to be sure," Olberic remarked, chewing before swallowing, "but a meal is a meal. My thanks, H'aanit."

"T'was a pleasure, Sir Olberic," the huntress said with a grin, making eye contact over the flames.

Dismissing myself, I decided to head to bed early for a change. Once again sharing a tent with Alfyn, I decided that I might as well get as much sleep as possible before he starts snoring again…

* * *

I couldn't remember having any dreams or nightmares that night. When I woke up, the moon was still high in the night sky.

"A full moon," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

Peering out, I could see that the campfire was still burning bright. For whatever reason, Primrose was sitting nearby on a log, staring wistfully into the fire. It wasn't really any of my business to snoop, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to get back to bed anytime soon anyway…

Walking over to her, I called out, "Hey."

She whirled around frantically, her brown ponytail nearly whipping me, before calming down. "... Oh. It's just you."

"Yep. Just a scraggly thief from the streets that a little girl blackmailed into joining her private army. Nothing out of the ordinary here."

Primrose giggled quietly. "Indeed… What strange times these are."

Sitting on another log, I asked, "So, what's got you up at this hour? Indigestion from the frog legs?"

"No," she denied, her nose crinkling in disgust. She took a moment to recompose herself before going on. "... Do you remember what that Vanessa woman said about her fear concoction?"

I paused, momentarily pushing down the nightmares I had earlier today as if they were a plate of horrendously repugnant foods. "... Can't say I do. Why?"

"Everytime I close my eyes, even to rest my head for just a few minutes, I keep finding myself reliving that horrible night over and over again. I was powerless to stop them..."

"... Oh," I mumbled, recalling how she had told me just yesterday about her father's untimely murder. The crow men, she called them… I'd have to keep my ears wide open the next time we stopped at a tavern. "Sorry. I'm sure his death must really haunt you.

"Exactly," she huffed, her head hanging in shame and disgust. "Ten years have passed, yet it still hurts all the same… Tell me, Therion. Am I wrong to feel this way?"

"... No."

"Really?"

"Your entire life was screwed over before you even turned fourteen," I stated bluntly. "Anybody in their right mind would be at least a little messed up over it, even after a decade."

"Yes, I… I suppose you're right."

"We all have our own demons, Prim, and yours might be the most wicked of all. As long as you're true to yourself and stick to your guns, nothing else matters," I said, shrugging. "Besides, if all else fails, you still have your team to pick you back up if and when you need it."

The dancer giggled, glancing at me in an almost mischievous way. "How inspiring... Does that mean that  _you'd_ be there to pick me up, too?"

"... Hmph."

"Hee hee… Thank you, Therion. I feel I can rest easier now knowing that I have my friends here to support me."

I cracked a smile, feeling warmer from more than just the campfire. "Heh. How cheesy."

"Like you're one to talk!"

"I only said that sugary crap to make you feel better!"

"Ehehe!"

I rolled my eyes and stood from my seat. "Well, now that you're all better, I'm gonna go back to sleep. Night."

"Good night, Therion," Primrose said, giving me a heartfelt smile. "Rest well. I get the feeling we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow..."

"Great..."

As I returned to my tent and laid in my cot, the warmth of the campfire still lingered. I didn't know what potential insanities awaited us in this "Victors Hollow" place, but I closed my eyes and tried to enjoy the peace while it lasted. Sure, those Vanessa-induced nightmares were still a real possibility, but... I'd manage.

I always do.


	14. A Victor's Hello

I was never really all that fond of the Woodlands. Call me crazy, but pickpocketing humans was always more fun to me than pickpocketing wacky animals and zany plant life. Especially considering just how  _weird_ Orsterra's flora and fauna are...

Fortunately for all of us, civilization reentered our lives in the form of Victors Hollow. I didn't know much about the place myself, only that fighters from all across the globe came here once a year to take home the glory or… something. I can hold my own in a fight, but I can't say the idea of ever competing in a tournament myself really appealed to me. The  _real_ fun came from betting on fighters and swiping many a spectator's leaves when they were none the wiser.

"Woah!" Tressa awed, gazing all around as if she'd never seen a big city before. Our group stood together as many townspeople walked by, giving us dirty looks. "This place is huge!"

I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands in my pockets. "Oh, come on. You've seen one town, you've seen 'em all…"

Olberic stood in front of us, inhaling deeply. "... No. The air smells of formidable foes and untold glory. I cannot say with earnestly that I have ever encountered such a place before."

"I must not get distracted, however," he told himself more than us. "I'll not rest until I find Gustav. Once I do, I'll be one step closer to finding Erhardt."

I gave the knight an odd look. "You lost me, big guy. It helps to not sound like an exposition machine."

"That's right. Therion's still technically the new guy, remember? Then I guess we're gonna have to fill him in on the tale of Sir Olberic Eisenberg," Alfyn announced. Grabbing a guitar from his bag, he added, "And what better way to do it than by - "

"You know what? I've changed my mind," I interrupted him with a hand held out. "I'm sure I can just piece things together on my own later."

The apothecary's face dropped as Tressa gave him a look of pity. "But… I really wanted to - "

"Move, move! Outta the way, damnit!"

Our group split in half as a crazed woman in a red coat sprinted in our direction. The only one who didn't clear the way in time was Olberic, and the woman didn't even make a dent in him as she crashed into him and fell backwards onto the ground.

"Ouch, hey!"

"Terribly sorry, Miss," Olberic apologized like the goody-goody he was. The big guy offered a hand to the strange woman only to have it swiped away.

Standing and brushing herself off, she spat, "Yeah, yeah, I got it! I don't need your stupid help, you big… dumb…"

Her train of thought clearly derailed as she stared up at his face, and the woman's cheeks started to match her dress as a few of the other ladies giggled.

"Miss?"

"Uhhh…"

Primrose and Tressa continued to snicker like schoolgirls as I rolled my eyes. "Good grief…"

"Cecily!" a gruff voice called from behind us. Sure enough, it belonged to a man nearly as tall as Olberic. He seemed to hobble with a slow gait, as if recovering from an injury. "What's the rush? The tournament's not till tomorrow morning."

"That's exactly  _why_  I'm in a rush, ya dolt!" Cecily shot back, fired up once again. "Thanks to your injury, we're down an able-bodied fighter to bet on!"

"Oh, so now it's  _my_ fault?"

"It's  _always_ your fault, Ned!"

"The hell is all this?" I butted in. "We haven't even been here five minutes…"

Olberic took a step towards the duo, clearing his throat. This had the possibly unintended effect of causing both strangers to take a step backwards. "Beg pardon, good sir and lady, but might I ask what you're discussing?"

Cecily's cheeks tinted pink, but she quickly snapped herself out of her lust trance and rolled her eyes. "Only the biggest fighting tournament of the year! Victors Hollow isn't just known for suckering idiot merchants into spending all their leaves here, y'know!"

"HEY!" Tressa shouted angrily, getting her attention. "I am  _not_ an idiot!"

"You thought it would be a good idea to bring a thief into your ranks even though you normally  _hate_ thieves," I snarked. "I'm not really sure you have a leg to stand on anymore, Little Miss Capitalism."

The merchant's face went red at this, her cheeks puffed up in anger. "Sh-shut up, Therion!"

"Well, am I wrong?"

"Enough," Cyrus scolded us with an unnecessary hand wave. Turning to Cecily, he said, "Terribly sorry for their behavior, milady. Please, continue."

"Ehehe," she giggled bashfully. "Well aren't  _you_ a sight for sore eyes? In any case, handsome, we are talking about the  _biggest_ ,  _baddest_ , bad- _assiest_ smackdown in all of Orsterra! Fighters come from all across the globe to - "

"We get it," I huffed, hand held out in annoyance. "Just tell us where  _we_ come into play, because I somehow get the feeling that we inevitably will."

Cecily stuck her tongue out at me before moving on. "You didn't even let me finish, Edgehead! Among the famed fighters participating this year are the heart-melting Joshua Frostblade, the freedom-fighting Wallace Wildsword, and the illustrious Black Knight himself, Gustav!"

Olberic's eyes went wide at the last name, and he took another step towards the strange duo with great interest as they cowered.

"E-Eep!"

"Where is Gustav? For I much desire to speak with him."

Ned put himself between the two and gave the knight a steely glare, but the intimidation tactic had no effect on our seasoned warrior who merely looked on in desperation. "Please, friends. Finding this man is crucial to my cause."

The other travelers exchanged worried looks before Alfyn spoke up, clearing his throat. "N-now hold on just a second! Let's all just simmer down some, okay?"

"Gustav's set to compete in tomorrow's tournament," Cecily explained with a dreamy look on her face. "Finding him shouldn't be too hard on account of all that black armor of his, but good luck getting him out of it."

Everyone stared at her in silence, with Ophilia in particular giving her an appalled and mortified look.

"... A-ah! No! What I  _meant_  to say was, good luck getting him to  _talk_!" she clarified unconvincingly. "Yeah, he's really not much for conversation. Rumor has it that he only talks to people that best him in battle. If that's really the case, then your best bet would be to fight him in the arena yourself!"

Olberic went quiet, his brow furrowing as he mulled it over. The man was no slouch in battle, so he probably stood a fair shot, but…

"Very well," he agreed to no one's surprise. "How does one enter this tournament, pray tell?"

Cecily's eyes lit up as Ned folded his arms with a smirk. "So you'll do it then? Awesome! And we'd be  _more_ than happy to sponsor you! Such a big, strong man like yourself is just  _sure_  to rake in the big bucks, heheh…"

Smiling, she added, "Now, ordinarily, it'd be as simple as sending in a written application a few days ahead of time before proving your worth in a mock battle. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the eighth and final spot has already been claimed by a man from Goldshore named Victorino. 'The Buccaneer's Bane', as his fans call him."

"Damn," Olberic cursed, his teeth grit.

"Now hold on there, bucko! If you challenge him to a duel and he loses, tradition dictates that his spot in the tournament becomes yours. From what I hear, he's giving out autographs in Victors Plaza as we speak."

"Thanks, Miss Exposition. We appreciate it.  _Really_."

Cecily stuck her tongue out at me again as Olberic nodded thoughtfully. "... I see. If joining this tournament is my best chance of speaking to Gustav, then it must be done. I shall speak with this… Victorino, and challenge him fairly."

"That's the spirit, big guy!" Cecily cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Ned here could sure learn a thing or two from you!"

"Kick a man while he's down, why don't you," her partner groaned as he rolled his eyes. "Terribly sorry about her… well,  _everything_ , mates."

"Hey, I can relate. We have our  _own_ annoying, plucky little girl to deal with here," I reassured him with a half-smile.

"That's it, mister! No food for you for a month!"

"Tressa, dear," Cyrus sighed. "That would kill him."

"... Oh, right. Sorry."

"I fail to see a downside here."

Our strange group of eight plus two strangers and a snow leopard began to walk towards the plaza together, Cecily and Ned leading the way. They were an odd pair, to be sure, but maybe there was some merit in their plans to make some money off of the tournament. And if they happened to come across a particularly large sum of leaves from Olberic's victory?

Heh. Well, no harm in helping myself to some of that, right?

* * *

A few more minutes of walking passed by before we reached the plaza. Upon arrival, we were met with a large mob of people crowding around something and cheering. Turns out they were actually standing around some _one_  who was fighting someone else. The crowd split in two as a scruffy pirate-looking man was sent flying out of the center, hitting the ground and rolling before stopping at our feet. His weapons, two identical curved swords, hit the ground beside him with a sad  _clang_.

"Goodness!" Ophilia yelled, amber eyes wide with worry as she knelt down to get a better look at him. Waving an illuminated staff over his head, she inquired, "Are you alright, sir?!"

"Hmm… This ain't good," Cecily mumbled, examining his face closely. "Those smoldering dark eyes, that bandana, and that  _scar_... Make no mistake about it, this is Victorino himself! The Buccaneer's Bane!"

Tressa's brow furrowed in confusion as she turned in Cecily's direction. "Huh? But if he's  _here_ , then who's in the circle…?"

Everyone looked ahead to see a long-haired blonde man standing in the winner's circle as the audience cheered him on. He wore a distinctive gray overcoat and blue scarf, and he carried a long blue spear on a whip. His single visible eye traveled past the crowd until it met Tressa's gaze, and both were immediately stunned at what they saw.

"... Tressa?"

"Mr. Leon?!" Tressa gasped incredulously, her green eyes practically leaping from her skull. The rest of the travelers exchanged suspicious and confused looks, with Olberic being the most skeptical. "What are you doing here?!"

"I could ask the same of you, lass," he replied, walking over to us and strapping his weapon onto his back. "I see you've amassed quite the group since we last met."

"Woah," Cecily gasped quietly as she stood up. "Who's this hottie?"

"Captain Leon Bastralle, at your service," the blonde man answered, taking a bow. Bringing his head up and grinning, he said, "The pleasure is all mine, beautiful."

Cecily nearly fell over as Ned caught her, the girl fanning herself with her hand dramatically. Primrose stared at the spectacle and shook her head with a smirk.

"You're certainly no slouch with the spear, friend," Olberic complimented Leon in his usual gruff voice. "If I may ask, how is it that you know young Tressa here?"

Tressa perked up with bright eyes. "I met him in Rippletide, actually! He was the one who I got my journal from."

"Oh, right.  _That_ journal," I spat peevishly, remembering how the damn thing ended up getting me into this mess in the first place. I really should have been more careful, but... C'mon, who the hell writes journals anymore?

Alfyn nodded, scratching his chin. "Is that so…? Well, in any case, it's nice to meet ya, Mr. Leon!"

"Likewise," the older man nodded. His eye studied us with great interest before finally stopping when he reached me. "I'll readily admit that I didn't expect you to meet such… interesting allies, Tressa…"

"Yep! It's been a heck of a journey so far, but I wouldn't miss it for the world," she chirped, beaming and adjusting her hat. Without warning, she reached over and wrapped an arm around me. "Even ol' Therion here isn't too bad once you get to know him!"

"Yes, I am. Now let go of me!"

Everyone laughed as the seafarer chuckled awkwardly. "... I see."

"I take it your triumph over Victorino has granted you his slot in the upcoming tournament?" Olberic questioned.

"Truthfully, I'm not one for such scenes," Leon admitted with a shrug. "I only accepted his duel because he wouldn't leave me alone otherwise. Said he wanted someone who could give him a 'real challenge', whatever that means. I'd be more than happy to relinquish my position to you, good sir - "

Cecily interrupted him with an obnoxiously over-the-top gasp. "Are you  _mad_?! There's no better way to absolutely  _kill_ hype for the tournament than by breaking tradition and forfeiting without so much as a single duel!"

"You're joking," I said monotonously.

"I'm afraid not, bucko! The only way to really get the town's blood pumping is to serve them an epic appetizer before they dig into tomorrow's main course!"

Turning to the mumbling crowd of people around us, Cecily egged them on. "What do you say, folks? Fancy a little show?"

The mob cheered in response as Leon and Olberic shifted uncomfortably. Ned merely chuckled in response, shaking his head.

"The people have spoken," the girl in red affirmed with a proud smirk. In a booming, rowdy voice, she yelled, "Ladies and gentlemen, do we have a treat for you today! In the blue corner, the beautiful Captain Leon Bastralle of Rippletide!"

"Gods help me," the seafarer muttered under his breath.

"And in the  _red_  corner, we have the handsome… Uh…"

"Olberic Eisenberg," our knight stated firmly.

The crowd mumbled and gasped as Cecily nodded cluelessly. "Yes, yes, the handsome Olberic Eisenbe… Wait,  _whaaaaat_?!  _The_ Olberic Eisenberg!?"

"Olberic Eisenberg?"

"What?! Can it truly be…?"

"That's the Unbending Blade of Hornburg!"

Primrose snorted. "You know, maybe you should try announcing your name in public more often, big guy… A little celebrity privilege never hurt anyone."

Cecily got ahold of herself, clearing her throat. "In the red corner stands the Unbending Blade of Hornburg himself, Olberic Eisenberg! Choose your weapons, place your bets, and then... Let's get ready to  _rumble_ ~!"

"I had no idea I was in the presence of the living legend himself," Leon commented as he walked a sizable distance away from Olberic. Turning to face him with blue spear in hand, he said, "It would be an honor and a privilege, Sir Eisenberg."

Olberic merely nodded back respectfully, drawing his trusty blade. "When you are ready, Captain Bastralle."

The rest of us quickly gave the duo some room. After a brief countdown, the crowd roared with excitement as the seafarer rushed towards the knight with spear in hand. My eyes widened as Leon practically slung his weapon at Olberic. The knight parried the weapon with ease, causing Leon to reel back the whip attached to it.

As he did so, Olberic lunged at him with his sword at the ready. Leon blocked the incoming slash and spun around him deftly before hitting him in the side with the blunt end of the spear.

"Oof! Not bad," Olberic grunted, taking a defensive position as Leon rushed him. The seafarer delivered a flurry of jabs as our warrior deflected every single one. The last block staggered Leon, leaving him open to a powerful trio of slashes.

"Hiyah!"

"Argh…!"

"Goode heavens!" H'aanit blurted as the crowd continued to cheer, her lips parted as she watched the duo with great interest. Her eyes seemed to be particularly focused on Olberic, and Primrose couldn't help but give the oblivious huntress a smug expression. "Such strength…"

"Sir Olberic's strength might be unparalleled," Cyrus stated, "but Captain Bastralle moves with the strength and speed of a viper! This could truly be anyone's match!"

Despite his injuries, Leon darted and dashed about as he swiped at his opponent lightly, nicking Olberic several times. I considered myself pretty quick, but Bastralle… he was something else altogether.

The fight went on for several more minutes as the two clashed frequently. The audience's hype never once died down, and the rest of us watched quietly. Tressa was probably the most conflicted, spectating nervously with one hand over her face.

"Get 'em, Bastralle!"

"Go, go, Unbending Blade! Make Hornburg proud!"

The knight winced slightly at the statement before being rejuvenated with a new sense of pride and power. His raging storm of attacks was relentless as he wore Leon down, and the seafarer slid backward and sank to his knees after taking one last hit.

"Nn… No more. I yield," he puffed with grit teeth, holding a hand out in front of him.

The audience let out a final cheer as several members grumbled and begrudgingly handed others pouches of leaves. Cecily hungrily accepted some for herself as Ned smiled and shook his head.

"That was an excellent match, Captain," Olberic congratulated him with a grin, the sweat rolling down his face. Helping the man up to his feet, he turned his head towards our resident cleric and said, "Ophilia? Heal this man, please."

The blonde rushed over to their side immediately and patched up their wounds. Victorino, despite Ophilia having tended to his injuries, was still unconscious, and two similarly-dressed pirates shot Leon a dirty look as they carried him away.

"Alright, show's over, people!" Cecily shouted. "Come out tomorrow morning to see what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object! Unbending Blade versus the Black Knight! Be there, be there, BE THERE!"

"Must she really be so cacophonous?" Cyrus moaned quietly, rubbing a pinky in his ear.

Ned chortled. "You should see her when she's drunk."

The crowd dissipated as Cecily finished collected the money she won betting on Olberic. Leon thanked Ophilia and turned to leave before being interrupted by a small hand on his sleeve.

"W-wait!" Tressa cried. "... You're leaving already, Mr. Leon?"

"I'll still be in town for the next couple of days or so," he explained, shaking his head. "I need to rest up at the inn now, but perhaps we can catch up sometime later. I look forward to getting to know all of your colorful friends here."

The little merchant beamed with a big blush. "Hee hee… They  _are_  pretty cool, aren't they?"

"Thou fought well," H'aanit complimented the knight and seafarer, bowing her head towards both men. "''Twas truly a sight to beholden."

Olberic and Leon smiled at her words. Primrose's eyes darted mischievously between the two and H'aanit before the danced suddenly smirked again.

"... What?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing… teehee…"

"Pfft. Weirdo..."

Once the crowd had finally dispersed, Cecily nodded to Olberic with a confident smirk. "Right then! We'll see you bright and early in the arena tomorrow, mister! Come on, Ned. You can count the coin that you  _didn't_ rake in for me."

The injured fighter grumbled as the two exited the plaza, and a fatigued Leon took his leave as well, leaving the eight of us in an empty plaza.

"Well, I'm beat," I sighed as I plopped down onto a nearby bench.

"But you haven't done anything yet," Ophilia pointed out.

"Watching people fight is really exhausting. To say nothing of the walk here. And the  _standing_ … Don't even get me started on that."

Tressa shook her head with a groan. "Therion, stop being lazy. We've got a lot to do today to prep Olberic for his big fight tomorrow!"

"Tressa - "

"You want my advice? Don't bother. The more he overthinks it, the worse off he'll be. Olberic is plenty strong; all he needs to do is relax for the time being."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Therion," the warrior rumbled.

"No sentiment," I argued. "Just the truth."

"Even so… I would still train for at least a few hours today. And I would like for you to accompany me, Therion."

I let out a long groan. "Really? We just got here. Have mercy!"

"Besides," I added, "why me? I hardly know you. Hell, the only reason I know you're so strong is because you're usually the one tanking every hit in battle."

"Unfamiliarity is all the more reason to get to know each other better!" Cyrus asserted in his typical nerdy voice. "Besides, someone of your profession would do well to keep both body and mind strong, no?"

"Mrgh…"

Primrose spoke up, smiling. "Yes, I think some training is in order for all of us. Wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"Ah… M-me? Why, that's hardly - "

"Yeah! Training time! Training time!" Tressa chanted, clenching her fists. "Let's head to the forest outside of town and spar for a bit!"

"No."

"Therion," Ophilia pleaded quietly, giving me some serious puppy dog eyes.

"Nuh-uh. Nope. Forget it," I refused, lying on the bench and shutting my eyes. "There's nothing you can say or do to move me from this spot.  _Nothing_."

"If you come with us, we can have an all-you-can-drink party in the city's tavern," Primrose cooed. "My treat~!"

My eyes flew open immediately as I sat up. "...  _All_ -you-can-drink, you say?"

* * *

I grunted as I hit the ground, the victim of a powerful kick from Primrose. I knew the girl had legs, but…

"Therion, I've seen you in action. That  _can't_ be it!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

I got back to my feet and took a stance as the others continued to spar. We'd split up into pairs; Olberic and H'aanit, Alfyn and Cyrus, Ophilia and Tressa, and Primrose and myself. Cyrus was no match for Alfyn, even with his staff, but the others seemed to be mostly on equal footing.

For the sake of not killing each other, Prim and I decided not to use our daggers. The idea was to make us more agile and strengthen our reflexes by teaching us to dodge attacks rather than dish them out. Olberic was testing H'aanit's prowess with an axe as the other four took a break with a snoozing Linde.

Primrose rushed at me and leapt into the air with her foot outstretched. When I rolled off to the side, she landed on her feet and pounced on me like a wild cat.

"Argh! Get off of me!"

"Hee hee… Do you yield?"

"Grr…"

Alfyn smiled as Ophilia healed him and the others. The apothecary then laid back on the forest with his hands behind his head, clearly content. "Man… I'm never gonna get tired of that feeling."

I crawled over to the others and collapsed, thoroughly defeated. "You'd better have a long line of mugs waiting for me at the end of all of this, Primrose…"

"You did well," she said, wiping her forehead with a handkerchief. "Quick-footed and graceful… You might have the makings of a dancer, even."

Everyone laughed at the idea of me wearing something similar to her garb, and I couldn't help but crack a small smile myself. "This is so ridiculous…"

Olberic and H'aanit, meanwhile, were still going at it. No surprise there, seeing as how they put us all to shame with regards to raw power and stamina.

"Ha!"

"Ngah!"

Sword met axe as the two collided once more, using their body weight to add more power to their attacks. The two broke away in an instant and H'aanit lunged at Olberic with the flat end of her weapon - per the rules - only for the knight to parry and retaliate with the flat end of his own blade. The impact knocked the wind out of H'aanit, who reluctantly stuck a hand in front of her to signal her surrender.

"I am… bested," H'aanit panted, leaning on her axe for support as she sweated profusely. "Well done, Sir Olberic."

Olberic grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "A fine fight that was, H'aanit. Why, I almost feel ten years younger!"

Primrose giggled. "Aren't they cute together?"

"I…  _What_?!" Tressa blurted loudly, somehow not getting the warrior duo's attention. "You're joking, right?"

"What, you don't see it?"

"See what? What's there to see?"

As the two squabbled, I shut my eyes. It was still a couple of hours before sundown, but I was just about ready to pass out then and there. Hell, were it not for Primrose bribing me with the promise of free alcohol, I'd probably be napping in the inn right about now...

"Hey, you guys!" Alfyn called over to Olberic and H'aanit. "You two finished? We were just about to head back into town."

"Yes, I… I believen we art done here. Good show, Sir Olberic," H'aanit said to the taller man with a small smile. "Perhaps thou might teachen me the ways of the sword some day."

"Only if you teach me how to properly use a bow," came the response as the knight chuckled. "I'm afraid my hands might be a bit large for yours in particular, though..."

I stifled a laugh as Ophilia's face lit up like a holy flame. "... Nope. Not even gonna touch that one."

As the lot of us began to walk back to Victors Hollow, I could feel the right side of my head start to hurt a bit. It was an unpleasant, almost throbbing sensation, but I shook it off with the knowledge that I could just drown it in alcohol like the rest of my problems.

* * *

As promised, Primrose bought us all drinks at the nearby tavern. Olberic had opted out of drinking tonight and instead chose to return to the inn. Made enough sense to me; who wanted to fight while having a hangover?

"So, Tressa… Tell me about this Captain Leon," Primrose said, running her finger along the top of her mug. "He's quite charming from what I've seen..."

"Hee hee, yeah... Isn't he amazing? He's got his own ship and everything!"

"Yeah, nothing says impressive like owning a boat."

"Don't make me smack you," Tressa threatened me with a harsh glare as she grasped her mug tightly. Nobody had the heart to tell her that she was actually drinking apple juice instead of apple-flavored alcohol like she thought. "I'll have you know that I grew at  _least_ ten levels during my spar with Ophilia!"

I shot the cleric a skeptical look as she chuckled nervously. "Ah… well, I wouldn't quite say that…"

"Philiiii! Stop making me look bad in front of everyone!"

"Yeah, 'Phili'," I said with a snort. "Tressa doesn't need your help for that."

Tressa nodded firmly. "Yeah! … Hey!"

"I just wonder what Olberic's up to," Alfyn mused, pausing to down his drink. "I…  _hic_ … I m-mean, you know… Eh…?"

Cyrus shook his head quietly, smiling. "Feeling a tad intoxicated, old chum?"

"Uh? Wuzzat mean?"

"It meaneth thou art drunk," H'aanit announced as she stood up and walked over to the apothecary's side. "Come, Alfyn. You needen rest."

Alfyn laughed boisterously as the rest of us looked on. I felt my head fall into my hand as the alcohol started to work its magic on me. Just how many mugs had I had anyway...? "I feel fiiiine, H'aani! Really!"

"Don't maken me carry thou!"

I let out a small laugh. "Heh, it's true... She'd definitely do it."

H'aanit and Cyrus stood up and helped Alfyn to his feet before escorting the apothecary out of the bar against his wishes. While they did so, Primrose walked over to the bartender and gave him a decidedly large pouch of leaves. She looked over at Tressa and me and tilted her head towards the door, signalling that it was time to leave. I got up with a sigh and dragged myself outside the bar before suddenly stopping.

"What's wrong, Therion?" Tressa questioned. "It's getting late, and we gotta get up nice and early to cheer on Olberic tomorrow!"

"Y-yeah, yeah, I... I'll be there."

Primrose walked over to me and grabbed my chin before turning my head. Her eyes were like emeralds as they burned into mine, and I could feel the heat rising in my body. "... Heh. I think I made the right call back there, Therion. You're nearly as drunk as Alfyn!"

Come to think of it, she and Tressa  _did_ look a lot more blurry than I remembered...

"Nah, I... I can hold my liquor," I protested, waving her away. "Really... I'm fine..."

Tressa gave me a concerned look as she reached towards me. "Therion, come on..."

Part of me wanted to turn and run away, but the rest of me was too drunk to cooperate. The pounding in my head intensified, and I begrudgingly allowed each of the girls to grab one of my arms. It was strange, being touched by another person, but... Maybe it wasn't all that bad. At least I didn't have to worry about either of them quite literally stabbing me in the back; Tressa was too innocent for that and Primrose was too clever to do it in front of a witness.

The next sensation I could remember was the feeling of a moderately soft mattress on my back and a warm blanket covering me up to my chin. I opened an eye and saw Ophilia and Primrose smiling at me.

"Sleep well, Therion."

"Mrmm... you too, ladies..."

I was sure that the nightmares would return as soon as I passed out, that I would have to hear those  _horrible_ voices from Vanessa's toxins come back, but I just didn't have enough energy to be fearful at the moment. As I let myself fall into a deep alcohol-fueled slumber, only one thought crossed my mind.

Tomorrow was gonna  _suck_.


	15. Olberic is Unbreakable

Man, drinking last night was  _not_ a good idea.

At. All.

I considered myself lucky that Alfyn had some spare leaves he could brew into tea, but even that wasn't enough to stifle the overwhelming cheers of the spectators as we made our way into the arena stands. What would've been a great opportunity to steal some leaves and info was ruined by my own drinking habits. Again. At least we got front-row seats to all the violence and mayhem...

"I wonder what kind of opponents Olberic shall be facing," Ophilia muttered as Tressa munched on some popcorn beside her. "I can't imagine they'll be very easy to defeat…"

Cyrus coughed, eyeballing some of the spectators (barbarians, more like) around us. His nose, like always, was buried in a book. "Ahem. Not to worry, my dear! I'm sure that Sir Olberic will pull through without breaking so much as a single drop of sweat! We just need to have faith in our friend and act as his moral support."

"Yeauh! Morar suppwort!"

Primrose sighed. "Tressa, dear, please don't talk with your mouth full…"

I kept my own mouth shut, staring down at the arena where the contestants were gathered. Thanks to out seats, making out their physical features wasn't too hard. The announcer stood in front of the warriors, wearing a stylish black suit. Aside from Olberic himself, I spotted some nobleman in white, a couple of shirtless morons (Seriously, who goes into battle half-naked?), a dude with a nasty-looking spear, some other guy, and two other men covered from head to toe in black armor.

"... Oh! Do you see Gustav over there?" Alfyn questioned, nudging me in the ribs. "I think he smiled at me! Hey, Gustav! Do your best, buddy!"

"Don't cheer him on, you moron," I griped. "Olberic's the one on our side, remember? And if he loses, I  _really_ don't want to listen to him whine about how he's 'lost his purpose' or some shit."

"Mmm." Cyrus closed his eyes and began to stroke his chin as usual, shutting his book. "Crass as you might be, Therion, I fear you may be right. Though our journey with each other hasn't been that long in the grand scheme of things, I've observed Sir Olberic lament on more than one occasion."

"Eh?"

"You might not know this- or might not have remembered - but Sir Olberic was once a proud knight of the kingdom of Hornburg. His title of 'Unbending Blade' is well deserved if the legends hold true."

"Hornburg," I repeated, scratching my chin. "There's that name again..."

"The kingdom fell about eight years ago," Primrose said, watching the announcer list off the combatants by name, "... and he's been a wanderer ever since."

"... Oh."

"Yeah," Tressa added with a sigh, having already finished her snack. "Believe it or not, he was actually the first person I met after I left Rippletide. Well, aside from Kit."

I folded my arms and reclined in my chair, rolling my eyes. "Oh, good. Please, tell me more about this person I've never met before."

"Ugh! Why are you like this?" Tressa shot me a dirty look, brows lowered in contempt. "We were nice enough to take you in and everything!"

"You blackmailed me!"

"No, we didn't!"

Alfyn cut in with a sheepish grin. "Er... Actually, Tress, I'm pretty sure we kinda did."

"See?" I asked, gesturing a hand in his direction. " _Thank you_ , Alfyn. At least someone seems to know what's what around here..."

Tressa opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by the booming voice of the announcer. Six of the warriors had been dismissed to conduct their battles in separate arenas, and the announcer himself grinned as he stood between Olberic and his first opponent, the man in the fancy white outfit. The audience drummed their feet in anticipation as he spoke.

"Enough preamble! On my right stands the illustrious Joshua Frostblade! Hailing from the snowy land of Northreach, he's amassed quite the reputation over the years for his icy tongue, second only to the cold of his steel! Make some noise for him, ladies and gents!"

Several audience members hooted as Joshua took a bow, tipping his fancy hat. Long purple hair flowed out from underneath, and he had a rapier strapped to his side. He started to milk the audience's adoration for all it was worth, laughing and twirling in place before clapping twice. A flurry of flower petals rained down onto him, and several audience members shrieked in delight. One fangirl in particular flung a rose in his direction, and he gracefully caught it in his teeth with a wink.

Olberic's face scrunched up in what I could only describe as confusion mixed with disgust. The rest of us blinked in dull surprise with the exception of Ophilia. The ordinarily chaste cleric seemed to have a redder face than usual, and... Ugh, was she biting her  _lip_? You gotta be kidding me!

"Ha!" Tressa elbowed me in the ribs. "I think someone's jealous!"

"What?! Jealous? Why would I be jealous?!"

"... Ahem." The announcer cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. "Yes. Joshua's first opponent  _would_ have been the Buccaneer's Bane himself, Victorino, but he was sadly defeated by an outside challenger before he could appear in the tournament."

There were some murmurs in the audience before he spoke on. "However, I think you'll find that the newcomer standing before us is a force to be reckoned with in his own right! Once a proud knight in the service of Hornburg, he rose from the ashes of his kingdom and appeared out of the blue with nothing to lose! A behemoth of a man and a talented swordfighter, let's give it up for Sir Olberic Eisenberg!"

Several audience members gasped as Tressa and the others cheered him on loudly. I applauded halfheartedly, taking in some of the other spectator's reactions.

"Sir Olberic Eisenberg?"

" _The_ Sir Eisenberg?! I thought he was dead!"

"Go, Eisenberg, go!" someone chanted passionately. "Make Hornburg proud! Show 'em what yer made of!"

The announcer quickly made his way off the arena floor as the two swordsmen stared at each other amidst the cheers and jeers. They drew their blades and started to circle each other slowly, Joshua throwing a few thrusts forward as if to taunt him.

"So," Joshua said with a small smile. "You truly wish to challenge me?"

"I do," Olberic replied, glaring him down. "For someone called Frostblade, you seem to burn with passion."

"But of course! Passion for none other than my beloved Angela. I appreciate my fans, make no mistake, but... I'm afraid there isn't a woman in the world quite like her. I'm known across the land for my cold shoulder, as well as my frigid blade, but it was Angela that ultimately defrosted my heart."

I resisted the urge to vomit as Ophilia and Tressa let out an "awww". Primrose merely shook her head in silence, the others watching with bated breath. Alfyn in particular looked like he was going to burst from the excitement. Or maybe he just had too much to drink...

"I have heard much about you, Sir Eisenberg. Even in Northreach, your stories have touched the hearts of many. And now, to fight you myself, in a place such as this... I should consider myself a lucky man indeed."

"So... you fight for love?"

"But of course!" Joshua exclaimed. "Were it not for Angela, I would be a lesser man by far."

Olberic paused, staring at the ground amidst the anxious cheering of the crowd surrounding them. By now, the people in the stands were getting antsy. "... I see."

He and Joshua continued to trade stock phrases for a few more moments before the latter clapped his hands together once more. In an instant, two similarly well-dressed men rushed through the gate behind him, each carrying a rapier like Frostblade himself. They stood at his side, and the audience roared with approval.

The rest of us, however...

"What the hell? I thought this was a one-on-one thing."

"As did I," Cyrus agreed, studying the gentlemen with great interest. "Not very sporting to challenge a man three-on-one, eh?"

"Yeah! Let's go back Olberic up!" Tressa yelled.

"N-now, Tressa, that's not quite what I meant - "

Before anyone else could act, Tressa leapt from her seat and started making her way out of the stands. She ended up smacking several spectators in the face with her backpack before walking down the stairs with her spear in hand.

"Tress, what're ya doin'?!" Alfyn demanded amidst the jeers of the audience members.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Little brat has no place in a fight!"

"She's pretty cute though, right?"

I groaned, hand in my face. "This is going to get worse before it gets better…"

"Therion! Go back her up," Primrose ordered.

"What? Why me?"

"Do you really want an injured Tressa on your conscience?"

"That doesn't explain why the rest of you can't... ughhhhh. You know what? I'm not in the mood to argue anymore." I shook my head and hopped over the stand, landing in the arena. Against my better judgment, I followed Tressa until we were both standing behind Olberic in the arena, our weapons at the ready. Joshua and his companions merely looked at us and chuckled.

"What lovely children you have, Sir Eisenberg. Are they both of the same maiden?"

"Hey! We're not kids, ya big jerk!"

"Tressa? What are you doing here?" Olberic gave both of us a steely glare. "I can handle this myself."

Tressa clutched her spear in both hands and crouched, almost as if she'd been taking pouncing lessons from Linde. "I know, but it's still not fair! They can't just gang up on you like that. It's dirty!"

"... And you, Therion?"

"Just focus on the coming battle, yeah?"

Frostblade pointed his sword at us while his retainers began to spread out in a circle formation. "Lovely children indeed... foolish, but lovely all the same.

"Enough!" Olberic roared, giving his trusty weapon a few threatening swings. "If it's a fight you want, it is a fight you shall receive! Come!"

Frostblade grinned and held his rapier high above his head. "Very well, sir. But I'll have you know that handsome fighters never lose battles! Have at you!"

The dapper duelists charged forward at our trio with impressive speed. Predictably, Joshua targeted Olberic as Tressa and I fought off his henchmen. I was so used to fighting off clumsy brigands that I had almost completely forgotten how to deal with more refined opponents. Well, that and I still had a hangover...

Tressa wasn't doing much better despite having the advantage in range. You'd think she would just camp in the corner shooting arrows and wind magic, but she just  _had_ to use her spear for some godforsaken reason. For every stab she landed, there was a flurry of slashes she could barely block.

"Should have stayed in the stands,  _mon chéri_!" one of the swordsmen taunted, nicking her cheek slightly.

Tressa lifted two fingers to her cheek and pulled them back, noticing the blood. She grit her teeth and blew him off his feet with a fistful of wind magic. While he was stunned, she pounced on him and started whacking him over the head with the blunt end of her weapon. "Don't. Call. Me. A.  _Cherry_!"

The swordsman dropped his weapon and held his hands above his head in surrender. I paused in my tracks as the audience cheered; who knew Tressa could be so ferocious? Annoying and overly cheerful, sure, but -

A blade nicked my midsection, taking me right out of my thoughts. "Ngh! Damnit!"

"Eyes up, you roguish lout!"

I decided to just focus on my part of the battle. The swordsman's licks were quick, but I had a plan. Dashing backwards and out of range, I hurled one of my daggers into his shoulder. As he cried out and tried to remove it, I rushed forward and went to town with my own sword. A few slashes and the occasional kick were all it took to force his surrender.

Another roar of approval from the audience. The henchmen excused themselves from the scene, leaning on each other for support. Tressa bent forward, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Walking over, I asked, "Had enough, Small Fry?"

She stuck her tongue out at me between fits of panting, and the two of us turned our heads towards the center of the arena to watch Olberic. There was a world of difference between their fighting styles; while Olberic would brandish his sword in heavy, powerful swings, Joshua seemed to be more focused on speed and evasion. He'd dart off to the side and occasionally poke him with his rapier, looking for a weak point. Joshua dodged several attacks, moving backwards each time, before he finally hit a coliseum wall.

"You're quick," Olberic said, "but I'm afraid it ends here."

Joshua merely smiled before leaping off of the wall and high above him. Several audience members gasped as he landed on his feet gracefully before thrusting his weapon forward. He grazed Olberic's side, but the attack only seemed to make him angrier. Joshua went on the offensive with his self-proclaimed "Rhapsody of Love" attack, but one missed lunge in particular led to Olberic knocking the rapier from his hand. He held his blade to his enemy's throat, forcing him to his knees.

"... I yield."

"Aaaaand there you have it, folks!" the announcer yelled, running back onto the scene. Our first victor, Olberic the Unbending Blade!"

The audience cheered vigorously as Olberic helped Joshua to his feet. The two shook hands, and I felt a dull throbbing in the back of my head. Tressa seemed to notice and started to drag me back to the stands with a grin. "C'mon, Therion. I think we've done our part here."

"No kidding. You owe me a drink after this."

"Isn't drinking what gave you your headache in the first place?"

"... I don't like you."

"You fought well," Olberic told Joshua, though he still refused to smile.

"Ha! I could say the same of you, mon ami. I just wish I could have done my sweet Angela justice in the arena…"

The knight's expression softened a bit. "... Is that why you fight? For love?"

"But of course!" Joshua asserted proudly. His face fell as quickly as it brightened. "Alas, I fear I shall have her love no more. I am sure that by the time news of my defeat here makes it to Northreach, she will have found another."

"I would not be so sure, friend. You fought with such passion and honor that distance crumbles beneath your very feet. This Angela maiden… She is fortunate to have one as dedicated as you. Of this I am certain."

"Not sure how honorable it is to fight a guy three-on-one," Tressa grumbled as we made our way back to our seats.

Everyone in our group congratulated us with the exception of Ophilia, who instead opted to glare at us even as she healed our wounds. "What were you two thinking?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

"Frosty started it!" Tressa argued.

I backed her up. "It's true. Granted, our knight in shining armor probably could have handled it himself, but…"

"Hm… But what if a similar incident should reoccur?" Cyrus asked us. "Much as it pains me to say this, I fear that a professor of Atlasdam has no place in a gladiatorial setting. To say nothing of the scandal that would arise..."

"Fearen not, professor. I shall fighten in the next round should Olberic need me," H'aanit volunteered, stroking Linde's face tenderly.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer yelled, still standing in the arena. "We're still waiting on the results of the last few fights, so now would be a great time to take a bathroom break and grab some more snacks! And, while you're out and about, consider visiting the local gift shop!"

"Must they advertise so shamelessly?"

"Merchandise doesn't sell itself, Professor!"

"Pfft." I rolled my eyes. I sat back in my seat and tuned out their conversation. With any luck, I could rest my mind before the next fight began...

* * *

After a few more minutes, the announcer strolled back onto the scene with a big grin. "Ladies and gentlemen! The results are in! Four fighters have been eliminated, which leads us to our semifinals! The Unbending Blade of Hornburg, Olberic Eisenberg, shall be proceeding to the next round after besting Joshua Frostblade in a striking display of swordsmanship!"

"Hey, we helped too," Tressa whined as the audience cheered.

"Cheer up, Tressa," Primrose said kindly, handing her a bag. "I even got you more popcorn."

"Oh, boy! Thanks, Primmy!"

As Tressa started to munch on the buttery, salty snack, the announcer continued. "The freedom-loving Wallace Wildsword, vicious as he might be, came in second yet again to none other than the awe-inspiring Archibold the Crusher! Let's give 'em both a hand, folks!"

More hooting and hollering from the people around us, which of course meant more pain for me. Gods above, it felt like a pickaxe was being driven into my skull. I groaned and leaned closer to Alfyn. "Got any painkillers, Doc?"

"Do I ever!" His eyes lit up immediately as he began rummaging around in his satchel for ingredients. He got to work immediately, mashing and mixing some together in a vial before shaking it. "A few of these grapes mashed together with a plum and some pomegranate seeds and… Voila!"

With a smile, he handed me a vial of some purple liquid. I nodded in thanks and sniffed it before deciding it was harmless enough, downing it all in one go. The pounding in my head started to ease up, and I could now focus on both the arena and the others without wanting to lay down and die. Well… For the most part, anyway.

"Better?"

"Better. Thanks, Doc."

"Anytime, buddy!"

"I'm not your buddy, Alf."

"Aww…"

"As always," the announcer continued excitedly, "the Black Knight, Gustav, remains undefeated! Grieg the Unbreakable shattered under his boots, and he didn't even leave so much as a dent! Now it falls to none other than the wicked Conrad the Impaler to finish the job! Will he find the strength to pierce Gustav's thick armor, or will he crack under the pressure like an Eggling? Stay tuned and find out, folks!"

"That man doth talken a lot," H'aanit said.

Primrose nodded with a chuckle, her eyes fixated on the arena floor. "Indeed. Though I suppose it makes sense. Even in gladiator fights, they still need  _someone_ to provide some background for all the violence."

"Gee," I said with a snort, "when you put it that way, all this stuff almost sounds kinda sensible."

"Oh, don't pretend you weren't having a good time down there."

"I wasn't. It sucked."

"Sure, Therion. Whatever you say..."

I scoffed and looked back at the arena. Olberic had emerged from the east gate and was taking a few practice swings, exciting the audience.

"Oho! I see our newest challenger is a cut above the rest, folks! Or  _is_ he?"

"Get on with it already!" I heard someone cry from behind us.

"Well, you've asked for it, and  _it_ is none other than the mighty Crusher himself! Some of you love him, some of you hate him, but let's give it up for this tournament's four-time champion!" the announcer shouted, gesturing to the lifting west gate. "Without further ado, I bring you: Archiboooold the Crusher!"

The audience's reaction was considerably more mixed. True to the announcer's word, some cheered and others booed as a blonde shirtless man sauntered forward. He flexed several times and blew kisses at his fans, occasionally stopping to show off his axe. Two similarly-dressed men accompanied the axeman onto the field, wearing face-obscuring helmets but no chest armor. The three of them struck a pose, making Olberic cringe in disdain.

I turned to our resident huntress with an exhausted grin. "Alright, H'aanit, your turn."

"I… don't understand," Cyrus complained, staring at the boorish men who were still posing and flexing for the audience. "Are all fights in the tournament conducted in this manner?"

H'aanit stood from her seat wordlessly, Linde following suit. This, of course, had the effect of pissing off some people who were sitting behind her. "Hey! Down in front, lady! I can't see!"

She turned to the disgruntled spectator with an icy glare, and Linde took the opportunity to make herself - and her teeth - well known to the man. His gaze briefly traveled between the woman and her large cat before he decided to slink back down in his seat. "Uh... n-n-never mind."

"... Come, Linde. To Olberic's aid!"

"Rawr!"

As the pair started to make their way out of the stands, Archibold finally stopped addressing the crowd and turned his gaze towards Olberic instead. His retainers stood on either side of him, folding their arms in an effort to look intimidating. "Well, I'll be damned… You know, as a boy, my parents always told me fairytales and the like. Stories of knights and castles and dragons. But to see a real-life knight in the flesh… I only wish my father could see you for himself."

Olberic's eyes lowered a bit before meeting his opponent's again. "... Is that why you raise your blade? In memory of your father?"

"Yeah." He nodded, smiling. "See, he died in this here arena, just short of reaching his fifth victory in a row. He always told me, 'Archie, this is a dangerous life. I'm not gonna stop you if this is what you wanna do, but know the risks.'"

"... I see…"

Archibold laughed heartily and lifted his axe high above his head. His cohorts imitated his action with a war cry, raising the audience's morale. "Sorry, Sir Knight, but now you know why I can't afford to lose here. C'mon, boys. It's crushin' time!"

"Yaah!"

Olberic stood his ground, holding his sword before him with both hands. He stared down the blade at them, practically daring them to make a move. Naturally, he was a little surprised when a certain huntress and her snow leopard took their places on either side of him. "H'aanit? And Linde? Did Tressa and Therion put you up to this?"

She shook her head, grabbing her bow from her shoulder. "Nay. We have comen of our own accord."

"... Thank you," he said with a smile. The pair and their feline companion shared a nod before getting serious, glaring at their fire. "Come, my friends! To victory!"

With that, the battle began. Archibold made a beeline straight for Olberic as his cronies kept H'aanit and Linde busy. The big cat circled her prey, snarling and flicking her tail, before pouncing on one of the axemen. He struggled to throw her off as she ripped and tore at his flesh with her claws, causing several audience members to wince.

"E-Enough! I yield, I yield!" he yelped, throwing his hands above his head.

H'aanit barely dodged an axe swing before letting out a whistle. "Return, Linde!"

"You dirty cheater!" her opponent yelled through his helmet. He raised his weapon high above his head and screamed at the top of his lungs. The huntress dashed backwards and unsheathed her own axe, daring him to come at him.

In the center of the ring, Olberic and Archibold started to circle each other, trying to anticipate their next move. The Crusher wore a manic grin on his face, but the Unbending Blade was unfazed as always. Archibold dashed forward and delivered a barrage of swings. Olberic blocked the first few attacks, but the rest found their mark in his sides.

"Urk!"

Archibold laughed uproariously. "C'mon, Sir Knight! Give me a challenge!"

Olberic clutched his bleeding side and glared at the warrior before him. His eyes darted to the left to see H'aanit still facing off against her opponent. For whatever reason, the two had thrown their axes aside in favor of hand-to-hand combat instead. Archibold noticed this and stomped a foot. "HEY! Are you ignoring me?! Nobody neglects Archibold the Crusher!"

The audience gasped as he focused his energy, channeling all of his strength into a single mighty blow. He raised his axe high above his head and declared, "Now! Face the wrath of my Champion's Cleave!"

Olberic darted backwards, dodging the attack.

… Or so he thought, anyway.

The axe found itself lodged in the ground, but the sheer strength of the blow caused the arena ground to shake and rumble. Olberic jammed his sword into the earth and struggled to stay on his feet; H'aanit and Linde, meanwhile, were knocked off theirs entirely. Archibold's underling kept his balance and crept towards the downed huntress.

"Get up, H'aanit!" Tressa yelled, cupping her hands over her mouth.

"Don't let 'im win!" Alfyn shouted at her, pumping his fist in the air.

Her opponent closed in on her, but H'aanit took the initiative and swept his leg. The attack knocked him to the ground, and the huntress decided to act. She rolled so that she was behind him before wrapping her arms around his waist. H'aanit hoisted him up and fell backwards, slamming him shoulder-first into the ground. She rolled out from under him and immediately sprang to her feet in a fighting stance, Linde close behind. The helmeted man briefly lifted his head before falling unconscious, the audience roaring in shock and approval.

"Did you see that?!"

"Who  _is_ she?!"

"I think I'm in love!"

Olberic ran towards Archibold, who had just pulled his weapon from the ground. They roared as they drew their weapons and charged at each other. When the hits connected, they seemed to move right through each other, and the audience remained silent as the two stood frozen in place. After a few tense seconds of silence, one of them finally collapsed.

"Aaaand there you have it, ladies and germs!" the announcer declared amidst the sounds of deafening roars. "In a stunning display of strength, the Unbending Blade has overthrown the Champion Crusher! Better luck next year, Archibold! We'll be back soon with the results of the other battle. Stay tuned, folks!"

"Woohoooo! Go, Olberic, go!" Tressa yelled, adding a whistle for good measure.

"Ughhh," I moaned, covering my ears. "Make it stop... please..."

Several arena employees carried Archibold and his men away on stretchers, and Olberic sighed heavily as he watched them leave. At first I thought it strange that he would be so down after a victory, but considering who he might have to face in the finals… Poor bastard.

Olberic and H'aanit shared a mutual nod of respect before splitting up. As Olberic returned to the lobby, H'aanit and Linde made their way back to their seats. Ophilia, ever the goody-goody, was already waiting for them with her staff at the ready. "You two should really be more careful, you know…"

The huntress folded her arms as she was healed. "'Twas nothing I could not handlen. I thanken thee, Ophilia. And you as well, Linde."

Linde purred as she stroked her chin, and I couldn't help but crack a small grin at the sight. What a strange pair they made…

"H'aanit, you were amazing out there!" Tressa exclaimed. Moving her fists around, she said, "You were all... Bam! Pow! Whoo!"

H'aanit chuckled awkwardly at her praise. "I... Thanken thee?"

"You gotta teach me to fight like that sometime, H'aanit!"

"Mayhap someday, Alfyn..."

* * *

After a good ten or fifteen minutes, Olberic entered the arena one last time to many a spectator's joy. Men and women alike whistled, and some even threw roses at him. I saw the knight's face turn red, and Primrose chuckled under her breath. As always, the announcer walked into the arena shortly afterwards. He wore a nervous grin, as if he had made a bet he wasn't sure he would win anymore...

"Well, folks, it appears we're in for quite the finale! Sir Olberic Eisenberg, the Unbending Blade himself, now has but a single foe standing between him and glory! The man, the myth, the legend himself - "

He was cut off by the sound of loud clanking. Many audience members were on the edge of their seats as a hulking behemoth made his appearance. Ebony armor covered him from his feet to his head, topped off by a horned helmet with a single eye slot. He carried a huge sword and black shield in either hand, and a magnificent cape followed him wherever he went. Even I had to admit he was pretty badass looking...

"That's him! That's the Black Knight! Eee!"

"Zelgius?"

"No, fool! Gustav!"

"... Without further ado," the referee continued obnoxiously, "I bring you, the Black Knight himself! Gustav has entered the building!"

He quickly shuffled away, letting the fighters take their place on the battlefield opposite each other. Everyone in our group started to glance at each other anxiously, almost as if daring the other to stand with Olberic in the arena. Gustav didn't seem to have any retainers with him if both gates shutting was any indication. A lesser man might have wet himself then and there, but not Olberic. Instead, he glared down his opponent with fierce dark eyes. "... So, we finally meet."

"..."

The Black Knight stood tall as Olberic continued to speak, his voice taking on a more pleading tone. "... I know of you, Gustav. Gaston told me everything. Where is Erhardt? I much desire to speak with him."

More silence passed before Gustav finally spoke, surprising everyone present. In a ghostly, echoing voice, he said, "... I know where he's gone, disgraced knight of Hornburg."

"Tell me!"

"You've not yet earned that right, Sir Eisenberg. You must prove yourself to me... To yourself."

"What...?" Olberic's glare softened slightly. "Myself...?"

"Tell me... To what end do you swing your blade?"

I saw Olberic struggle to come up with an answer. I always pegged him as a typical knightly do-gooder who defended the weak or something noble like that. Sure, it's easy for  _me_ to make judgments about people, but now I was kinda curious; how did  _he_ view himself? What made  _him_ get up in the morning?

"... I see," the Black Knight said. He held his shield before him, almost daring Olberic to make a move.

"I know not what I fight for in the long run," Olberic replied, taking a defensive stance with his sword in front of him. "... But I know what I fight for today."

"... Aye. Then there is nothing more to be said. Come, Sir Eisenberg! Earn your answers!"

Olberic rushed forward, swinging his blade at him aggressively. Each blow bounced off of his shield, and the armored knight kicked him in the gut. Olberic stumbled, but rolled out of the way as the Black Knight brought his blade down where he was standing. I got a good look at everyone else as the fight raged on. Tressa tugged down on her hat as Alfyn and Cyrus took turns biting their fingernails. Every time a hit connected, Primrose or Ophilia would cringe. H'aanit said nothing, glaring at the Black Knight and balling her fists as Linde snarled.

Olberic managed to get past his shield and hacked at his wrist, trying to make him drop it. The Black Knight shoved his shield forward instead, the attack nearly forcing Olberic off of his feet.

"C'mon, Olberic! Get it together! I've got leaves hinging on this battle!" Tressa cried. The rest of us looked at her in shock and horror as she giggled nervously. "Uh... just kidding, hahaha... But seriously, don't let him win!"

Another swing sent Olberic to the ground, and he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting his head skewered. "Try as you might, my blade sunders all eventually!"

"Don't listen to him, buddy!" Alfyn hollered. "You've got this!"

"Use your head!" Cyrus urged.

"The horns!" H'aanit pitched in. "Aimen for the horns!"

He managed to pull himself back to his feet just in time to block an incoming cross strike. Deflecting the blade, Olberic hacked away at the Black Knight's helmet. The attacks managed to chip off one of the horns, and the Black Knight stepped back to hold his head in apparent pain. His visor began to glow a deep red, and he flung his shield aside violently. "Ngh...! 'Tis but a scratch..."

The Black Knight's mighty sword seemed to glow with a dark aura as he clutched it in both hands. A demonic cry let loose from his obscured lips as he charged forward. Olberic braced himself for the impact, and Ophilia squeaked and covered her mouth. "Olberic...!"

"How's he gonna beat this guy?" Tressa asked. "We... we have to help him!"

"... No," I argued, getting some curious looks.

"Wha?"

"This is something he needs to do himself."

"Therion, you...!"

Olberic dodged and blocked blow after blow until the last one slipped past him and knocked him to the ground. Looking past him, I spotted the shield that Gustav had discarded earlier. It was as dark as his armor, and looked as if it were the same material to boot. It was also kinda diamond-shaped now that I looked...

... Wait a minute. Diamonds! Diamond is unbreakable, right? And if the only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond, then maybe that shield is the only thing that could put a dent in the Black Knight's armor!

"Olberic!" I cupped my hands around my mouth for emphasis. "The shield! Hit him with the shield!"

Everyone looked at me in confusion, but Olberic pulled himself to his feet and made a mad dash towards the shield, scooping it off the ground. The Black Knight stood his ground as Olberic stood his, ebony shield in hand. With a guttural roar, he charged towards him. Olberic used the shield to block the incoming attacks before dishing out a few of his own. Using the shield, he backhanded the Black Knight, the impact destroying half of his helmet. The audience collectively gasped as he staggered backwards, clutching his bleeding eye.

"I see now... This is the strength of the Unbending Blade?" he asked chillingly, staring ahead at Olberic. His dark hair and pale face were just  _barely_ visible, topped off with a reddened eye.

"Not strength," Olberic said, crouching. "... Friendship."

"Friendship!?"

 _Friendship_? Where the hell did he get that from? It couldn't have been from me; I barely know the guy! Maybe he was talking about Tressa or Cyrus or one of his other cheerleaders, but me? No way.

"Surely you jest!" the Black Knight roared. "Friendship is fleeting! People will lie and cheat and leave you in the dust when you're of no use to them any longer! You think Erhardt was your friend?! Pah!"

"No, Gustav... You are wrong. Erhardt... he  _was_ my friend! He was my brother!"

"Search your feelings, Sir Eisenberg. Do you  _truly_ think he felt the same way?"

"ENOUGH! I have questions, and  _you_ ," Olberic said, pointing his sword at him. "... You have answers. You  _will_ give them to me, Gustav!"

Beneath his cracked helmet, he smirked. "... Yes... Perhaps I will... Come. Let us finish this."

Gustav and Olberic charged forward and attacked with everything they had. A powerful red aura had overcome the Black Knight's body just as Olberic had steeled his body and mind, letting a blue aura envelop him. The slashes came as quick as lightning, each one almost passing through the other. The audience watched with bated breath as Olberic backhanded Gustav with the shield once more, destroying the rest of his helmet. With a mighty war cry, Olberic threw his sword high into the air and leapt up to catch it. He spun in a somersault, and Gustav brought his sword up to block the attack.

"MY BLADE IS UNBENDING!"

The attack cut right through Gustav's blade, rendering it useless and leaving everyone stunned.

"What?!"

"How did he do that?!"

"What just happened?!"

"Impossible!" Gustav cried, holding his broken sword in both of his hands. "This cannot be! What...  _who_ are you?!"

Olberic walked up to the kneeling warrior and pressed the tip of his sword to his throat. "... It's over, Gustav."

The broken knight's mouth hung open for a few seconds before chuckling softly. "Yes... I suppose it is. Well done, Sir Eisenberg."

Gustav stood and held Olberic's hand high in the air for all to see, and the audience let out a tremendous final roar as several spectators begrudgingly paid each other. The announcer practically did a jig as he approached the duo. "I don't believe it! In an absolutely  _astonishing_ display of power and courage, Olberic Eisenberg has toppled the previously-undefeated Black Knight! Never before have I seen a more amazing fight, ladies and gents, and I'm willing to wager none of you have either! With that, I am proud to announce that Olberic Eisenberg, former knight of Hornburg, is this year's Champion of Victors Hollow! Make some noise, ladies and gentlemen! Make some noise!"

My mouth still hung agape from what Olberic had managed to pull off. I was honestly going out on a limb with the whole shield idea, but...  _That_? The whole aura thing? It looked like something out of one of Cyrus's dusty old texts! My ears practically started to bleed, but I was more caught up in how the group was cheering.

"Go, go, Eisenberg! Go, go, Eisenberg!"

Olberic looked up at us and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, an emotion that only doubled when a familiar girl in a red dress came dashing out of one of the gates. She practically threw herself as him, arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her lips to his cheek. Some of the spectators started making an obnoxious "ooooh" sound as a result.

"Oh, that Cecily." Primrose laughed. "What a card. Wouldn't you agree, H'aanit?"

She looked over to her left only to find that H'aanit had disappeared altogether. Linde was sitting in her seat instead, tilting her head when she met Primrose's eye. "... H'aanit?"

* * *

The afterparty, sadly enough, was no less rowdy than the tournament proper. Everyone sat around at the table, laughing and drinking and raving about how awesome Olberic looked during the whole ordeal. Ned and Cecily arrived not too long after we got settled, the former clinging to Olberic's arm the entire time and going on and on about how much money his victory made her. Naturally, she and Tressa became fast friends as Olberic covered his face in embarrassment. H'aanit sat in the corner, stone-faced as she drank from her mug.

Eventually, Olberic announced that he needed to step out for a bit, using the classic "fresh air" excuse I too was fond of. As the others continued to talk, I slunk out of the establishment like a snake and started to tail him. When I reached the inn, I just assumed that he was tucking in early for the night. A little early, but hey, he earned it.

"Gustav," he said, knocking on a door. "... It's Olberic. I would like a word."

I hid behind a corner undetected. From the other side of the door came a voice, considerably more human-sounding than what we heard in the arena. "... You may enter."

Olberic was allowed inside the room, and I crept over to get an earful. I silently thanked whatever gods might have existed that there was no one else present in the hallway; I guess everyone was still out drinking and partying.

"... Gustav. Tell me everything you know about Erhardt. Please."

"Of course... Where to begin?"

I figured this would be the part where I got to sit back and listen to somebody's backstory, so I packed a few grapes for the occasion. I would have gone with apples, but... Too noisy.

"How did you meet Erhardt, Gustav?"

"... Would you believe me if I told you that I was naught but a simple mercenary when we first met?"

"..."

"It was years ago," Gustav explained. "I was... in a rough spot, in terms of money. I needed to make ends meet, but all I was good for was swinging a sword around. Naturally, this got the attention of a budding mercenary group that could've used the extra help. Gaston, that bastard... he and I became fast friends. But even with our leader, we still needed someone else to guide our sword arms. That's where Erhardt came into play."

"I see... So that's why Gaston mentioned him. He even said Erhardt had given him his blade..."

"Erhardt... always picking favorites." Gustav snorted, and I pressed my ear to the door to get a better listen. "... He wasn't always a fighter, you know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... you see, he started as a simple farmboy from a tiny village called Grynd."

"... Grynd?" Olberic interjected. "I've never heard of such a place - "

"Because it doesn't exist anymore. Because it was razed to the ground during the war. Because King Alfred  _let it happen_."

"You lie!" I heard Olberic cry.

"... Do I?"

"King Alfred was a good man! He would never - "

"Even  _good men_  have their flaws, and negligence was one of his. Erhardt's parents, the poor souls... Gone. Burnt to a crisp, leaving a teenage boy orphaned and homeless."

My eyes widened. I definitely hadn't expected to hear  _that_ , and Olberic didn't either if his next words were any indication. "I... By the gods... I had no idea. All this time...?"

"From a young age," Gustav continued, "he swore vengeance upon the king that had sat back on his ass and done nothing to help his people."

Olberic's voice wavered. "I... King Alfred would never - "

"Oh, but he did. And the story doesn't end there, I'm afraid."

I nibbled on a grape as I listened intently. This was getting too good for me to abandon now. "Eventually, our leader decided he didn't want us around anymore, and the brotherhood fell apart. It was just Erhardt, Gaston, and yours truly. I suggested that the three of us keep the team alive and restore our former glory, but Erhardt's mind was made up. He left us to serve the Kingdom of Hornburg... as a spy."

"A... spy? You mean to tell me he intended to betray us the whole time?!"

"I do, and he did. Don't take it personal, though," Gustav urged. "You're not the only one he's left behind in the name of something as petty as vengeance. Without our former mentor, Gaston and I just... fell apart. Last I heard, he became little more than a brigand. I wouldn't be surprised if he's dead or in jail by now."

"..."

"So King Alfred fell, and with no living wife or children to carry on his lineage, the whole kingdom went to shite. No wonder no one lives there anymore, eh?"

I heard Olberic grunt. "Enough. Just... just tell me where Erhardt is."

"You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

"I..."

Gustav chuckled. "Honestly, I'm not surprised. With how much of a thrashing you gave  _me_ , you might even be able to topple him. He doesn't have the benefit of mystical armor, after all."

"Where  _did_ your armor come from, anyhow?"

"Not that it matters now that you've thoroughly ruined it, but... I made a pact."

"With whom?"

"I cannot say," he answered curtly. In a dark voice, he said, "All you need to know is that there are elements in play far greater than you, Sir Knight. Greater than you and all your friends combined. This is a big world we live in, and a dangerous one at that. You're better off dealing with your own demons and minding your own business otherwise."

"What...?"

"You mean to deal with Erhardt, yes? He's holed up in Wellspring as far as I've heard. I assume you're familiar with the Sunlands?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Go south into the Sunlands and don't stop until you've reached a town called Wellspring. I hear they have a nasty sand lizard problem, but I'm sure a warrior of your ilk could make short work of them."

"Wellspring," Olberic mumbled. I wanted to say he was nodding, but I couldn't be sure. "... I see. Thank you, Gustav. I shall go there as soon as I am able."

"You're welcome." Gustav chuckled. "You know, it's been a while since I've really talked to someone like this. Anyone, really. It's... almost nice, in a way."

"Indeed."

"Still... Just hear what Erhardt has to say first. I'll never forgive him for abandoning us, but..."

"... I understand. Thank you, Gustav. I look forward to a rematch someday."

"Ha! Aye..."

I rushed out of the hallway and back into the lobby undetected. Once I was outside and hidden in the shadows of the building, I sat on the ground and sighed. I'd never really talked to the big guy much before, but I had no idea he and that Erhardt guy had such a history. Hell, I don't think I even knew who Erhardt  _was_ before today.

Still... That whole thing about Erhardt betraying both Gustav  _and_ Olberic... I'd be lying if I said it didn't hit a little too close to home. Granted, I don't think Olberic was ever thrown off a goddamn cliff, but... Ugh. Darius, that bastard...

I felt a tear sting my eye, but I brushed it off and decided to head back to the tavern. Olberic didn't have to know, but... I'd support him. If  _only_ to make sure that that backstabbing bastard got what's coming to him. Maybe someday I could deal with Darius, but this would have to do for now.

_Get ready, Erhardt, you son of a -_

"Oof!"

I looked up to see a taller blonde man standing before me. "H-hey, watch it."

"Oh, my apologies." He leaned forward to get a closer look at me, and I leaned backwards in response. "Mm... You're one of Tressa's companions, are you not?"

"What's it to you?"

"I was just asking." He offered a hand and said, "Captain Leon Bastralle, at your service."

"Uh... Therion," I said, reluctantly shaking his hand. "You fought Olberic yesterday, yeah? Good show."

Leon laughed softly. "Yes, he... he's quite the powerhouse. I'm not surprised he was crowned champion. He certainly earned it."

"Yeah, yeah, he's great, I get it." I huffed. "Do you mind? I have places to be."

"Oh, I'm sure," he replied, folding his arms and nodding. "Do send Tressa my regards. I'll only be in town for a few days longer, I'm afraid. Maybe we could all grab lunch sometime."

I eyed him strangely as he left, leaving me standing alone in the street. "... Weirdo."

With a shrug, I strolled over to the tavern. I just wanted to go back to the inn and sleep, but I figured I could use a drink after listening to all that inn-room exposition. As I entered the establishment, I couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes on my back...

"... Meh. Probably just a cat."


	16. Everything Will Be Eldrite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter, Olberic won the tournament in Victors Hollow! In this chapter... more stuff happens! I'm really sorry for the massive schedule slip, but updating is the only way I can atone, so update I must. Onward!

 

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful all things considered. I was able to slip back into the tavern undetected, and Olberic arrived not too long after. Cecily clung to his arm almost immediately and started going on and on about how much better he was at fighting than Ned, much to the injured fighter's dismay. Olberic looked more embarrassed than annoyed, and everyone else generally seemed to be in high spirits.

… Except for H'aanit.

She'd never been much of a smiler, but as she downed what looked like her eighth mug of ale, she looked downright  _pissed_. Linde rested at her feet, snoozing with a calm look on her furry face.

"C'mon, H'aanit, it's a party! Don't be afraid to smile a bit," Alfyn said, chuckling and taking a seat next to her. His good mood faded when H'aanit didn't even look at him. Instead, she elected to glare at the other table, fixated on the girl who'd essentially claimed Olberic's arm as her territory. Our resident apothecary followed her gaze and understood immediately. "... Oh."

Leaning against the table, I couldn't help but snicker. After snooping on Olberic's little discussion with Gustav, I really needed a laugh or two. "Well, this is a delicious twist of fate. Who would've thought our stoic huntress had a jealous side?"

"Silence, Therion. You annoyen me. Begone."

"Pfft. It's alright, you know. We all have our little secrets—"

H'aanit shattered the mug in her hand with zero hesitation, not even wincing at the injury. Alfyn scrambled to remove the glass shards from her bleeding hand as she continued to glare ahead in silence.

"Er…Heh." I cleared my throat. "Right… Forget I said anything."

I moved away from them and rejoined the main group, swiping an apple from a nearby table when nobody was looking. I took a bite and leaned against the table nonchalantly. As usual, Tressa was the one leading the conversation.

"Olberic, you were  _awesome_ out there!" she exclaimed. Moving her fists around for emphasis, she said, "You were all… Bam! Pow! Slash! And he was all... Kaboom! Splat! Thud!"

Olberic could only cough into his hand as Tressa sank back into her chair with a dreamy sigh. "So cool… I wanna be half that awesome one day."

I snorted. "Keep dreamin', half pint."

She stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"Ah… Thank you, Tressa. Still, I could not have gotten through the first two fights without you, Therion, and H'aanit. Oh, and Linde as well," Olberic mused in his usual tone. He looked over at the huntress with a gentle grin, and her cheeks went red as she turned away from him. "Hmm… I wonder what ails H'aanit..."

"Maybe it's the alcohol," Ophilia suggested, sitting between Tressa and Cyrus.

"Perhaps..." Olberic finally managed to free his arm from Cecily's thirsty grasp, the girl drunkenly raving about how "strong and burly" his biceps were. Cecily herself was escorted out of the establishment by a very embarrassed Ned, who nodded and thanked us for the meal before leaving. "Still, I do not think I would have beaten Gustav if not for the shield trick... If memory serves, it was Therion's idea, was it not?"

"No, it wasn't," I lied, taking a sip of my drink. "Pay no attention to the rogue on the other side of the table."

Strangely enough, he chuckled and gave me a rare smile. I could only raise an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic behavior. "... What?"

"Perhaps I was wrong about you, Therion. At first I thought you little more than a petty thief. Now I know you are a petty thief with a knack for quick thinking."

"Ey! Who are you calling petty?!"

Everyone had a giggle at my expense, even innocent little Ophilia. I rolled my eyes and blew a loose strand of hair out of my face. "Tch. Whatever..."

"It still burns my biscuits that you didn't get a trophy though," Tressa told Olberic. She threw her arms up as she yelled, "Not even so much as a medal! What's up with that?!"

"Many men fight for glory, Tressa," Cyrus pointed out before taking a gentlemanly sip. He raised his glass towards Olberic and said, "It just so happens that our friend here fought for the greatest cause of all; knowledge!"

"Pfft. Nerd..."

Ophilia gave me a disapproving look. "Therion, don't be mean."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"... Perhaps there is some merit to your words, Professor Albright. It is true that I only fought to get some information from Gustav," Olberic said, his face returning to its default grim state. "In any case, I've finally ascertained where Erhardt might be."

"And where might that be, exactly?" Primrose asked, sliding in the vacant chair next to him.

"Gustav claims that he's gone into hiding in Wellspring, a desert town far south. You're familiar with the Sunlands, aren't you?"

Her smile faltered. "All too well, I'm afraid."

"Ah…" Olberic cleared his throat. "I… Forgive me, Primrose. I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine. Soon we'll be able to head out there." She grinned. Despite her smile, Primrose's eyes had a cold fury to them. "Just not before we head east to Stillsnow. I still have some business there, I'm afraid."

"Indeed," Olberic said with a nod. He turned to Tressa and asked, "I take it you still have some business here as well, Tressa?"

"You got that right! Now I need to find  _two_ things in the marketplace; a treasure worth selling at the Merchants' Fair, and a medal befitting a victor. No champion of ours is gonna leave here empty—handed!"

"That's hardly necessary… I've already acquired what I came here for."

"How modest of you." Ophilia clasped her hands together, beaming at him. "We could all stand to be so humble."

"I  _insist_ upon it!" Tressa declared, rising from the table with a frothy mug pointed at him. "And I say we all have another round on me!"

"She knows her mug's just full of apple cider, right?" Primrose whispered to me, still staring at her.

"Eh, I doubt it." I shrugged. "Still, if she's buying… What's the harm in one more drink?"

* * *

_Five or six drinks later…_

"When the moon hits your eye," Alfyn slurred.

"Like a great apple pie," I joined in drunkenly.

"That's a moray!"

Cyrus chuckled as the eight of us walked back to the inn, some of us with more ease than others. "Er… No, I believe that would be an eel."

"Oh, sure, when  _I_ start singing, everyone complains," Tressa grumbled, "but when  _they_ do it…!"

Primrose interjected immediately. "To be fair to Therion and Alfyn, their singing never got us kicked out of a tavern. Not even tonight, amazingly enough… Gods."

Tressa merely rolled her eyes, even as I leaned against her for support. Normally I would have just toughed it out, but I was a bit more buzzed than usual. "Honestly, Therion. Didn't Ophilia and I  _just_ walk you back to the inn last night? We need to do something about this drinking problem of yours!"

"It's not a  _problem_! I can quit anytime I want to."

"Then do it!"

"No. I don't want to."

"Therion, you're such a—"

"Tressa! Language."

"But I didn't even say anything yet, Professor!"

The rest of our group laughed as we made our way back to our rooms. Thanks to all the money Tressa had pilfered—I mean, come across—we were able to get two separate rooms; one for men, and one for women. In my hazy drunkenness, I found it odd that we never stopped to do that before, but we made it this far without issue... somehow.

"There," Ophilia said once Alfyn and I were both tucked into separate beds. She bowed her head with a smile. "Tressa's got quite the big day planned for us tomorrow."

"Ugh… no 'us', please," I moaned, rolling over. "Just let me sleep in…"

"... I'll see what I can do." She turned to Olberic and Cyrus who were already fast asleep like the old men they were. "... Good night, gentlemen. Sweet dreams."

* * *

Another morning, another hangover.

The Victors Hollow marketplace was as bustling as one might expect. We'd hardly finished breakfast before Tressa rushed us all out of the inn and towards the center of town. I guess it made sense for the city to have such a big market after yesterday's tournament, but was it really necessary for  _me_ of all people to come with?

"Quit grumbling," Tressa said as she looked over numerous stands, "and help me find something valuable!"

I looked ahead to see what the others were up to. Alfyn was busy buying medicinal ingredients (big surprise), Ophelia was looking to replace her old staff, Cyrus was talking some poor merchant's ear off, and Olberic and H'aanit were examining nets and spears with Linde curled up at their feet.

"See anything you like?" Primrose asked, walking up to me. With a cheeky smile, she added, "Or any _one_ , for that matter?"

"Where's all this coming from?"

"All what?" She bat her eyelashes in an almost innocent fashion.

"... You know, I don't get you," I said with a sigh, leaning against a nearby stand with my hands in my pockets. Tressa stopped to talk to some shady—looking merchant, her gaze fixated on a bunch of hanging trinkets and do—dads.

"Nor I you," she admitted. Prim leaned in closer and spoke in a more hushed voice. "Frankly, I'm surprised you're not lining your pockets with all sorts of things right about now. You haven't stolen much of anything lately, come to think…"

"I mean, it's a little hard when you're being dragged around by a bunch of moral guardians." I lifted up my shackled wrist. "Especially since I still have my  _own_ matters to attend to…"

"In theory, you could have run off at any time. Especially now, while everyone's off doing their own thing… yet you stay."

I looked away from her. I had no doubt in my mind that I could sneak away undetected and not look back, but… was it even worth it at this point? They'd probably just hunt me down with Linde and make my life even worse… Not to mention that I still needed to get the other two dragonstones back at some point. How much more difficult would that be if I found myself in a fight with no backup?

_And you'd miss them._

_No I wouldn't._

_You would!_

_Bullshit! They... They're my ticket to freedom. That's all..._

"What, do you  _want_ me to leave?" I snarked, trying to silence my thoughts. "Is that it?"

"Hardly. I don't think any of us do," Prim said, shaking her head. Her voice took on a more sultry tone. "Especially not me."

"Tch…" I felt my ears heat up from beneath my hair. "Sure, Prim. Whatever you say."

"I mean it, you know. The others are all good people, make no mistake, but... It's nice to not be the only unsavory figure in the group."

"Uh-huh..."

I guess it kinda made sense when I thought about it. Even Cyrus and H'aanit, for all of their oddities, were still pretty high on the morality scale. Primrose and I, on the other hand... Well, we had our reasons, but we looked like downright monsters compared to innocent bright—eyed little Tressa and Ophilia.

She looked at me with all the interest of a fox stalking its next meal, emerald eyes narrowed and sharp. I felt a chill run down my spine as the hairs on my neck stood up. "... What? What  _now_?"

"Is there truly nothing you know about the crow men?"

"No. I don't even know their official name, just that it can't be any worse than  _Crow Men_." I rolled my eyes before glancing over at her with tired eyes. "Where's all this coming from?"

"I…" She averted my gaze, wringing her hands together in an uncharacteristically shy manner. "... Well, I just figured that someone with a criminal background might be familiar with other—"

"Hey! Gimme that back!"

I snapped my head towards the source of the noise in time to see a greedy merchant snatch a map away from Tressa. Most of the crowd hadn't even noticed, too preoccupied with their own shopping to intervene. I walked over to them with Prim close behind, resting a hand on the hilt of my dagger as I side—eyed the man. "... There a problem here?"

"I was looking at that map when he yanked it from me!" Tressa yelled, clenching her fists and pouting. "I was gonna pay for it and everything!"

"Not a chance, girly!" the other merchant cried, still staring at the withered piece of paper in his hands. "This here treasure map's worth a fortune! It's gonna make me filthy stinkin' rich!"

Primrose sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "I'd say you're already halfway there..."

He ignored the comment and forced some candy of questionable age into Tressa's hands. "Here you go, little girl. Now leave me be!"

"Giving little girls candy..." I shook my head. "The jokes write themselves..."

It wasn't long before Olberic walked over, giving the man a leery gaze as he towered over him. Honestly, even I felt a little intimidated. "Is there a… problem, good sir?"

"Hey, I just said that—"

"Aah! The current reigning champion!" The shady merchant scrambled backwards with wide eyes. I could see a bead of sweat already forming on his forehead. "N-no, sir! What, uh… can I do for ya?"

"I propose a challenge. If you best me in combat, the map stays with you. If  _I_ defeat  _you_ , then little Tressa here keeps it."

"Waah! That's no fair! I don't stand a chance and you know it! No, there's only  _one_ thing in the world that I'd give up for something as valuable as this!"

"Name it," Tressa challenged.

"Legend tells of an elusive shield that was once wielded by the mighty Edbart. Its name, if you can believe it, is Edbart's Shield. I heard it's somewhere here in the marketplace. You want this map so badly? Bring that shield here!"

"Fetch quest, yay..." I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. "I'll be back in five minutes."

"Therion," Tressa warned with some serious stink-eye, "don't you  _dare_ …"

"What? I got money…"

"The heck you do!"

"Tressa, c'mon," I said, "would I lie to you?"

"... Yes! You would! You probably do it all the time!"

"Well not this time. I'll buy it myself."

I walked away from the others, knowing full well what I had to do.

_Time to get to work_.

* * *

Finding the shield was easy enough. I had to do some digging, but I eventually found it hanging around at a lone stall sitting on the outskirts of the arena. The merchant was busy talking with someone else, and neither were facing the shield itself, so swiping it off of the rack was a piece of cake. It wasn't even that heavy.

I hid it under my cowl and started to skulk away only to find Tressa give me one hell of a death glare, her hands on her hips. "... What?"

"Give it."

"I have no idea what you're—"

" _Therion_."

I rolled my eyes and handed her the shield. "Fiiiine. You should thank me, you know. I was gonna save you plenty of leaves."

"It's not about the money, Therion!" She grabbed the shield and gave it a wistful look, almost as if looking after a sick child. "Merchants need this income to survive, y'know! You can't just cheat them into losing money!"

" _You're_ losin' money, ya ninny..."

"Quiet, Therion," she said, turning away from me. Her face went back to normal as she approached the oblivious merchant with as sweet a smile as she could muster. "Good morning, sir! I was taking a stroll around town when I noticed this here shield sitting around unattended. Does this belong to you, by any chance?"

"Say, it does, come to think of it!" The other merchant scratched his head. "Strange. I coulda sworn I had it all hung up, but I guess you wouldn't bother bringin' it back here if you were just gonna steal it."

Tressa smugly glanced over at me for a moment before going on. "You're darn tootin'! How much is this bad boy, anyway?"

A few boring minutes of haggling passed before the two of us finally walked away from the stall, Tressa considerably less wealthy. At least she had something to bargain with now, I guess.

"You know, you really should've just saved yourself the money—"

"Can it, Therion!" She glared at me. "I don't need business advice from a thief."

"Says the gal who ripped off those miners back in Quarrycrest."

"What?!"

"Did those guys you bought the skystones from know about your little polish trick?"

"I… That's… That's totally different! I paid them plenty!"

"But how much  _more_ money would they have earned selling all those things compared to what  _you_  paid for them?"

"I didn't cheat them!" Tressa's cheeks puffed up. "Any merchant worth their salt knows that you should always spend less than you earn! That's how we make a profit!"

Oh, you made a profit alright. Profiting off of other people's—"

"You know what, Therion?"

" _What_?" I turned to her, folding my arms.

"... Forget it," she said, grinning and shaking her head. "I think the heat's just messing with our heads. Let's go cool off at the tavern after I get that map back, okay?"

Well, that was... oddly mature of her. Still, as long as she was buying...

"Yeah, sure." I shrugged, hands in my pockets. "I've got nothing better to do today anyhow..."

"Good." Tressa closed her eyes and beamed before walking ahead of me.

I cracked a half-smile when I heard her hum a little tune to herself.

"Heh. Such a strange kid..."

* * *

The deal in the marketplace went smoothly, and Tressa graciously allowed me to leave once the trade was completed. I could have sworn that the other merchant was gonna take the shield and bolt with the map still in hand, but Olberic and H'aanit stood on either side of him just in case with stone faces. Tressa kept her word on the tavern business, and now it was just the two of us sitting at the counter, the little merchant studying her new map carefully as I took another sip from my mug. Her brow furrowed as she came across a name. "Baltazar…"

"Bless you."

"I didn't sneeze, Therion."

"You know, when someone says something polite, the appropriate response is typically 'Thank you.'"

" _Thank_ you?" she repeated incredulously.

I smirked. "You're welcome!"

Tressa held a sour expression for a few moments before breaking into a fit of giggles. "Heheheh... You're a dork, Therion. I'm still mad at you about the shield thing, though."

"I regret nothing," I said, raising my mug. The barkeep walked over and gave me a refill, to which I nodded in thanks. Looking back at Tressa, I could see that her eyes were glued to the map once more. "What's got you so invested in that map anyhow, Small Fry? I mean, not that I care or anything, but…"

"Frankly I'm more surprised you  _aren_ ' _t_  interested. This here map points to buried treasure!" She gestured to the upper right-hand corner of the faded yellow map. "You see that name there? This map must've belonged to some guy named Baltazar."

"Baltazar, you say?"

Everyone in the tavern froze as a trio of men made their presence known. I could see a fat guy and a skinny dude in matching bandanas, neither remarkably interesting outside of their pirate garb. Their handsome blonde-haired leader, on the other hand…

"Mr. Leon!" Tressa perked up in her seat, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

The few other patrons returned to their drinks, even as some began to sweat buckets.

"Nice to see you again too, Tressa," Leon greeted, stepping forward. "I just so happened to be passing through the area when my sailors and I grew thirsty."

He gestured behind him and asked, "I assume you're already familiar with these two?"

"Is that… Knick and Knack?!"

"That's Mikk!"

"And Makk! Yar, get it right!"

"I'm glad that I managed to catch you lot before either of us left. Where is everyone else, perchance?"

"They're still out at the market," Tressa said with a shrug. "I still need to find something for Olberic, but then I found this neat map!"

"Oh?" Leon stepped towards the counter to get a better look. Clear blue eyes immediately grew large from what he saw, and his mouth fell open. " _Baltazar_?! Could it truly be…?"

"You know this guy, Mr. Leon?"

"Indeed… he and I scourged the seas in our younger years. He passed away some time ago, but he lived here in Victors Hollow."

"... Huh?" Tressa tilted her head like the lost puppy she was. "You mean…?"

"That's right," Leon said quietly. His eyes shifted about the tavern, noticing how the other patrons practically kept their noses to the tables. "The others are right to be afraid of me, for I was once a notorious pirate."

"Y-you're kidding!" Tressa's mouth hung agape. I sipped my drink in silence as she fumbled over her words. "You were a... a  _pirate_? That... that can't be right! How could  _you_ have been a pirate? You're so nice and handsome and... Aaah! N-no! I mean..."

I grinned behind my mug as I saw a bit of pink dust Leon's face. He cleared his throat and tried to get her to calm down. "Now, Tressa—"

"You're like a really nice dad or something! I mean..."

" _Pfffft_." I nearly fell off of my stool then and there. It took every ounce of willpower to not throw my head back and howl with laughter. "Pfftch..."

Tressa glared daggers at me, gritting her teeth even as she blushed. "Shut up, Therion! It's not like that! I just... I don't understand, Mr. Leon. How could you have been a pirate? It just doesn't make sense..."

"He be right, lass," Makk said. "Ol' Mikk an' I 'ere looked up tae him when we was but a couple a' wee lads. The strong take while the weak quake! That was our favorite sayin' growin' up..."

"Right…" I gave him a weird look before turning back to Leon. "So you were a pirate, huh? How'd you meet Little Goody-Two Shoes over here?"

Tressa elbowed me in the ribs. If Leon were a lesser man he might've chuckled, but his face remained cold and distant. "I gave up my old lifestyle many years ago when I lost Baltazar to the waves. I'd never met a finer sailor in the Wild Eagle, but even the best of us are still mortal in the end. Baltazar and I were like two peas in a pod, but he… well, not everything is meant to be."

"Mr. Leon…" Tressa looked down with a sigh. "I'm so sorry…"

"You needn't be, lass. In any case, the map is yours now."

"Huh?"

"I have no need for Baltazar's treasure," he declared, shaking his head. "I've already lost that which is most important to me."

I took a sip from my mug. So those two were close, huh? Like Olberic and Erhardt...

_Or you and Darius._

I grimaced and took another, longer sip. Tressa and Leon started talking in great detail about some place called the Forgotten Grotto, but my mind had already wandered elsewhere.

"Right! To the Forgotten Grotto then! Thanks, Mr. Leon!"

"Not at all, my girl. The road ahead is dangerous, but you're in good hands." Leon turned to us. At some point between his arrival and now, Primrose had quietly slipped into the tavern and joined us. "I leave the rest to you now."

It was then that Leon left, his pirate goons close behind. Once they were gone, I could spot a blonde woman with short hair sitting alone at a table just across the bar. She peered over at us with a strange smile, not taking her eyes off of us even as she sipped her drink.

"Psst," Primrose whispered, leaning a little too close to me. I recoiled as I felt her breath tickle my ear. "Is it just me, or is that woman over there giving off some bad vibes?"

"No, I feel it too," I said, keeping my voice down. The blonde woman left some money on the table before exiting the establishment, not even bothering to look at us as she sashayed away. I spotted Tressa staring at her treasure map, hopelessly oblivious. "... Let me guess; you're gonna drag us along on one of your little escapades, aren't you?"

"Yup!"

"And no amount of begging or bargaining will change your mind?" Primrose asked.

Tressa smiled at us, green eyes ashine with greed. "That's right!"

I downed my drink without another word.

_Bring it on._

* * *

Sure enough, Tressa insisted on dragging everyone along for the journey. In her own words, it was because "everyone had something to contribute!" Ophilia could light up the darkness of the caverns, Cyrus could help identify various formations and the like, Olberic could offer protection, Primrose could keep our spirits up, Alfyn could help patch us up, I had a keen eye for treasure, and H'aanit could sniff out danger from a mile away.

"Rawr!"

Oh, and so could Linde, I guess.

It was still daylight when we made for the Forgotten Grotto, taking the grassy path west of Victors Hollow. The group talked among themselves, taking guesses as to what sort of treasure might lie in the dungeon. Alfyn was sure we'd find a chest full of gold, but Primrose argued that we might come across a fine set of jewelry instead. I stayed quiet, hands in my pockets as I trudged along.

Whatever collective good mood the group had vanished upon reaching the entrance to the grotto. Rock formations hung from the entrance like fangs, and a faint ghostly moaning could be heard from within. Everyone looked around at each other in silence, almost as if trying to see who would go first.

Tressa, in all her unadulterated optimism, ran ahead at full steam. She turned back at us with her map in hand and yelled, "C'mon, you guys! Adventure waits for no one!"

"This has 'trap' and 'bad idea' written all over it," I said, shaking my head.

"Therion, you worry too much," Ophilia said. She walked ahead of us, joining Tressa, and lit up the cave with her staff. Seeing this prompted everyone else to take a few steps forward. "As long as we have each other, as well as Aelfric watching over us, everything will be okay in the end."

"Tch... Yeah, okay." I relaxed, if only a little bit. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

I grit my teeth as a shambling skeleton grabbed my shoulders and pinned me to the wall. The skull leaned in close, trying to peer into my soul with its empty sockets, before letting out a tremendous wail. I kicked it away in a panic and drew my sword. " _Five_ minutes! We've been here a grand total of  _five_ minutes!"

I set the damn thing ablaze with a Wildfire spell before spinning forward and slicing its skull off. The skeleton crumpled to the ground in a flaming pile of bones, a hand crawling forward for a few seconds before stopping. Satisfied, I turned to the others.

They really weren't faring much better.

More bonemen appeared from the darkness, wearing tattered pirate clothes and being accompanied by their deformed bat companions. Cyrus torched anything that moved, H'aanit and Tressa shot at the bats with their bows, and Olberic and Alfyn kept the grounded monsters at bay while Ophilia called on her holy magic.

"This isn't so bad, really," Primrose said, her back pressed to mine as several stray skeletons wandered closer. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and grinned. "Nothing like a little exercise to get your blood pumping, right?"

I looked back at her as if she'd sprouted three more heads. " _This_  is your idea of exercise?!"

"Focus!"

We took turns swiping at the monsters with our blades, and soon Primrose started dousing them with dark magic. One of them shrieked as a powerful blast reduced it to dust. Another wailed as my sword lopped its skull in half at the mouth. It scrambled about blindly before falling to the cavern floor, gasping and moaning as it died a second time. "I... was once... a  _man_..."

"How are these bloody demons talking?! They don't even possess vocal chords!" Cyrus exclaimed.

The others reunited with us soon enough, succeeding in driving off the rest of the attackers. Nobody looked any worse for wear, not even Tressa. She just dusted her dress off and moved on ahead after making sure everyone was okay, map still in hand. The rest of us followed her, but not before Cyrus took a sample of skeleton dust and stored it in a glass vial.

"Therion, I can practically hear your heart beating... Are you scared?"

"Shut up, Primrose."

"There's no shame it in, you know... We all have our fears."

"I wasn't scared, I was surprised," I retorted, folding my arms. "You'd be too if that damn thing grabbed you and screamed in your face."

"Would you like me to hold your hand?" Primrose asked in an almost sincere tone. She extended her arm outward, smirking when she saw my frown. "If I'm not to your liking, I could always ask Ophilia instead..."

"Ask me what?" the cleric asked from further up ahead.

I stared at Primrose with an unimpressed, half-lidded gaze. "... Why are you the way that you are?"

"Stay focused, friends," Olberic said. "Danger is lurking around every turn..."

"Trust your  _feelings_ ," Alfyn sang, "got to  _live and learn_!"

I rolled my eyes as I rejoined the main group. This... eldrite, that Tressa was looking for... I could only hope it'd be worth it.

* * *

After what felt like hours of spelunking, it seemed we'd finally reached the end of the cave. The opening in the back gave way to a beautiful orange sunset, the light glimmering off of the surface of the waters. A few of us took the opportunity to rest as Tressa wandered towards a sandy pit, eyes still glued to the map. "Let's see... If 'X' marks the spot, then said spot should be right around—AAUGH!"

She lost her footing and fell forward. Olberic and Alfyn were at her side in an instant, and the rest of us soon followed. I spotted something old and metallic sticking out from the sand. "Well I'll be damned. Looks like there might be some treasure here after all."

"Y—you think so?" Tressa asked, nodding in thanks as Alfyn helped her up. Her eyes reached the mysterious object and immediately lit up. "Oh! That has to be it! Someone help me dig it up!"

Alfyn and Linde stepped forward to help, using an axe and claws respectively to dig up the buried treasure. In a matter of minutes, the dirt was cleared to reveal a green chest with golden lines draped across it. It looked far too old to have been placed their recently, and the lock's rust alone was proof of it.

"Success!" Tressa pumped her fist in the air, nearly punching Cyrus. She grabbed her spear and struck the lock with the blunt end of it several times. "Just... gotta... get it... open!"

I opened my mouth to offer my services, but decided that watching her brute force it would be far more entertaining.

One last hit proved strong enough to bust the lock, and Tressa could hardly contain herself as she lunged forward and opened the chest. I grimaced at the musty seaside smell, but inside was a beauty like no other. A single green stone lay in the very center, a folded piece of paper underneath. Everyone marveled at it as Tressa lifted it above her face with a wide smile, letting the emerald beauty shine in the sunlight. In a way, it almost looked like one of the dragonstones... Just a little smaller.

"That musten be the eldrite," H'aanit said, a hand on her hip as she gave a tiny smile. "Marvelous indeed..."

Alfyn let out a whistle. "Now that right there is a beaut! It even matches yer eyes, Tress!"

Tressa blushed, even while continuing to admire the eldrite. "Hehe... You think so?"

"Indubitably! Such a magnificent stone is sure to acquire quite the pretty penny in Grandport," Cyrus said, folding his arms and grinning. "Though I certainly wouldn't mind studying its various properties, of course..."

"You'll do nothing of the sort, Professor Albright."

A sharp feminine voice got everyone's attention, followed by the sound of glass shattering at our feet. Smoke filled our lungs and vision immediately. I covered my face with my poncho and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over Linde in the process. Between bouts of coughing and trying to wipe away the smoke, I was reminded of the time Alfyn's would-be girlfriend tried to poison us...

"Graah! Wind!" I heard Tressa cry. The familiar green cyclone left her hand and dispelled the wind as several of the others struggled to regain their bearings. "Is... Is everyone okay?"

"B-better now." Olberic nodded with a cough. His eyes flew open when he noticed a distinct lack of eldrite in Tressa's hands. "Ah...!"

Tressa looked at her hands, and then at the ground all around her, in a panic. "Wh-what the...?! It was  _just_ here...!"

"And now it's over here," the same female voice from before snarked. "Funny how life works, isn't it?"

Everyone turned towards the end of the cave to see a woman in a black dress standing atop a cliff. Bobbed blonde hair framed a smug face as she held the green gem before her. She tapped it with her forefinger and grinned like a cat as she stared at it. "My precious eldrite... He kept you from me for so long. Shh... No need to worry, darling. Mommy's here now..."

"What... the hell..." I rasped, narrowing my eyes at her. "Wait a minute... That lady at the tavern...!"

"HEY!" Tressa yelled, pointing a finger at the culprit. "That's not yours!"

"Oh, pipe down, pipsqueak. Do you have any ideahow troublesome it was to tail your little group all the way from Quarrycrest?" The blonde woman glared down her nose at us. "You've been a right pain in the neck, you have. And those gemstones you sold me? Gorgeous, but worthless!"

She lifted the eldrite to the light and grinned. " _This_ little beauty on the other hand..."

"Wait a minute..." Alfyn scratched his head, gazing at her. His eyes went wide when the realization sank in. "Gemstones... Esmé? Is that you?"

"Oh, how sweet! You remembered my name! Well... part of it, anyway. I'm Esmeralda. A pleasure."

Tressa clenched her fists and crouched, taking on a fighting stance. "It doesn't matter  _what_  your name is! That stone belonged to Baltazar, and his friend entrusted it to me!"

Esmeralda paused for a moment, pretending to think as she tapped her chin. Eventually, a smile graced her face. "Baltazar, Baltazar... Yes, I remember now! He and Captain Bastralle were nearly inseparable until I came along."

"Huh...? You knew Mr. Leon?"

"Regrettably." Her face soured in an instant. Everyone shifted in place, unsure of what to do next. Primrose in particular seemed to take interest in the black-clad thief, scrutinizing her even from a distance. "It wasn't easy trying to worm my way into his heart, that's for sure. He had his sights set elsewhere, it seems. Ultimately, I had to settle for his friend..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, already fed up with her dialogue. "Just give her the stone back so we can get out of here."

She ignored me and seemed to focus her attention solely on Tressa. Primrose's hand lingered on the hilt of her dagger as H'aanit slunk into the background, clutching her bow. "You there, girl. Don't you wish to know what  _really_ happened to dear old Baltazar?"

Tressa's breath hitched in her throat. She furrowed her brow and stared at the gravel at her feet. "He... He died in a shipwreck, didn't he?"

"Oh, you poor baby. Is that what Leon told you?"

"That's what happened! ... Isn't it?"

"Believe what you want," the woman told her coldly, "but the fact of the matter is that Baltazar is dead, this eldrite is  _mine_ , and the rest of you will be joining him soon enough."

Olberic drew his blade and stepped in front of Tressa. "Is that so, temptress? I see eight of us and but one of you. You cannot hope to best us."

"Th-that's right!" Ophilia chipped in. Fiery amber eyes glared at Esmeralda as she gripped her staff tight. "As long as we work together, there's no manner of darkness we can't overcome! So return the eldrite to Tressa, if you please!"

Esmeralda let out a hearty laugh as Ophilia's saccharine schtick. "Do you think me a fool? I have no intention of fighting you lot myself! No... I'm simply the messenger, and you should  _never_ shoot the messen—ACK!"

An arrow embedded itself in her stomach. The attack caused her to drop the eldrite, hands flying to her bleeding wound. Tressa sprinted forward and caught the stone in her hat before stowing it in her bag with a harsh scowl. The rest of us looked back at H'aanit, the huntress staring forward with a face of stone.

"... Consider thyself shotten."

"Y-you  _bitch_ ," Esmeralda swore through grit teeth. With a chilling smile, she asked, "You really think you can just interrupt a gal in the middle of monologuing?! Is that it?!"

"There ist another arrow with thine name on it. Do not testen me!"

"Heh... well, no matter. I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice." She stood up straight and pulled a small whistle out of her dress. Esmeralda brought it to her mouth and blew, making an irritating high-pitched noise that forced our hands to our ears. Linde rolled on the ground and let out a roar, tail swishing from side to side as she covered her own ears with her paws.

"Linde!" H'aanit cried, kneeling by her companion's side. The noise finally subsided after a few seconds, but a loud roar soon took its place from behind the cliff. After making sure Linde was unharmed, H'aanit stood back up with slightly wide eyes. "That soundeth like trouble..."

"Well, looks like that's my cue." Esmeralda giggled, wincing when she pulled the arrow from her stomach and dropped it near us. "It's been fun, darlings, but all good shows must come to an end sometime! I'll be back for that eldrite soon enough, pipsqueak! In the meantime, enjoy my apothecary friend's newest pet! Bahahaha!"

She threw a glass vial at her own feet this time, vanishing when the smoke cleared. The same bestial roar from before repeated itself, only this time it sounded even  _more_ agitated. Tressa's eyes widened as a giant tiger approached the cliff. Its white body was tainted purple, its long striped tail darting back and forth as it glared us down. Worst of all were the unnatural tusks that jutted from either side of its mouth, two of its claws on its front paws being dangerously similar.

"Graaooh!"

"I... I don't believe it..." Cyrus's face paled.

"Another corrupted beast?" Ophilia croaked, already trembling from the last time we fought such an animal. She turned towards H'aanit with glistening wide eyes. "H'aanit... Do we  _have_ to...?"

There was another roar, this one considerably more strained.

H'aanit shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "This beast... ist in constant pain. We haven no choice. We must enden its suffering."

"Y-you're kiddin'!" Alfyn shouted. "I still feel bad about Hrodvitnir..."

"Unfortunate," Olberic said, standing in front of us all, "but if this beast is suffering, it is our sworn duty to absolve it of its pain."

H'aanit smiled at him, even as her eyes carried regret. "My thoughts exactly, Sir Olberic."

The beast's tail flicked back and forth before it leapt off of the cliff, landing before us with murder in its eyes.

"Ah, shit," I groaned, unsheathing a dagger. "Brace yourselves!"

* * *

Things had gone south within a matter of minutes. The Venomtooth Tiger, as Cyrus was quick to name it, managed to force its way past Olberic and H'aanit. Cyrus and Primrose had taken some nasty scrapes in the process, and now Ophilia and Alfyn were frantically trying to drain the poison from their bodies with the combined forces of magic and medicine. H'aanit pierced the tiger's hide with several arrows as Olberic did his best to land a decisive blow. I threw some daggers and casted magic from behind the beast, but it shrugged off the attacks.

"Therion, this isn't working!" Tressa yelled beside me, nocking another arrow. "How are we gonna beat this thing?"

"What, you're asking  _me_?!"

"Don't you have any crazy ideas like with Gustav?"

I looked at the battlefield. Cyrus and Primrose were starting to get back on their feet, but Olberic was starting to struggle against the Venomtooth Tiger. Linde leapt onto the bigger cat's back and took several bites before being thrown off. H'aanit drew a short blade and joined Olberic's side, but the beast's tusks in addition to its claws made it a dangerous enemy at close range. Still, Tressa's long-distance attacks weren't working, and neither were mine...

I stared up, scrambling to think of something. The sharp rock formations hung down from the ceiling like stony spikes of death. There were a few particularly large ones towards the center where the beast was still fighting Olberic and H'aanit. The tiger was bulky and fast, but if we could get it to freeze in place for just a few...

_... Wait a minute. Freeze! That's it!_

"Cyrus!" I yelled at the scholar in our midst as Ophilia helped him up. "Cast your ice magic on the tiger! Whatever you do, don't stop!"

He nodded and flung his staff off to the side. Cyrus held out both hands in front of him and recited some words as the temperature started to fall. Ice crystals formed all around his fingers before a flurry of them flew forward. The ice hit the Venomtooth Tiger in the side, earning a guttural roar. Olberic and H'aanit backed away as Cyrus continued to work his magic.

"Haah...!" He staggered forward, hands blue from the cold. The tiger turned towards him and bared its teeth (and tusks), but the ice was already coating its limbs. Alfyn threw a frosty concoction overhead that exploded, sending more ice creeping into the beast's veins.

As its movements slowed to a halt, I looked up at one of the rocky spikes hanging just above it. "There! Everyone focus your attacks on the spike thing!"

"It's called a stalactite, Therion—"

"Do it! Do it now!"

I casted a ball of Wildfire up at the ceiling, accompanied by Tressa's wind and Primrose's dark magic. Olberic and Alfyn could only watch from the sidelines as the attacks collided with the stalactite. Cyrus sent a stream of flames at it, and H'aanit shot a lightning-coated arrow that exploded upon impact. The force of the attacks was too strong, and the spike dislodged itself from the ceiling and hit the beast dead on.

I couldn't bear to watch.

The Venomtooth Tiger let out a roar of pain, followed by a low rumble as it started to relax. When the dust cleared, the tiger was dead.

"Is... Is everyone alright?" Olberic asked, sheathing his sword.

Tressa's lower lip quivered. "That poor tiger... Did we really have to...?"

Alfyn rested a large comforting hand on her shoulder. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Tress... We should go."

"But... But I..."

She took one last look at the corpse of the beast before turning to the rest of us and nodding. We started to walk out the way we came, and I couldn't help but think about what just went down. That tiger probably didn't deserve it, but we didn't really have a choice, did we? If we ran, who's to say it wouldn't have chased after us? Could it have left the cave and started a rampage in Victors Hollow? And then there was what H'aanit said about it being in constant pain and agony...

Ophilia held Tressa's hand as she led us out of the grotto. I saw a tear roll down Tressa's cheek as she adjusted her hat, no doubt trying to hide her eyes.

_We've killed plenty of monsters before... What made this one different?_

I had to remind myself that Tressa was still by all accounts a kid; a kid who knew how to fight, and  _had_ on numerous occasions, but a kid all the same. With any luck, she'd put this nightmare behind her. Just like the business in Quarrycrest, and Saintsbridge, and...

Damn, she really has been in a lot of scrapes, hasn't she...?

"Therion," Primrose whispered once we were far enough behind the others. "... You're worried about her too, aren't you?"

"... No," I lied, still looking ahead. "She'll be fine. She always is."

* * *

Things had mostly settled down the next morning. Everyone was chatting and smiling at the breakfast table, undoubtedly trying to keep each other in high spirits. Tressa hadn't joined us yet, strange given how much of an early riser she normally was, but Ophilia had gone to check up on her and ensure she was fine. A few minutes later, they both joined us at the table.

"Good morning, everyone!" Tressa greeted. "Where are we off to next?"

"Stillsnow, to the east," Primrose said. She sipped her coffee with a dour look. "Then we're off to Stonegard in the Highlands."

"Ah, Stonegard! I have some business there as well, if I recall." Cyrus raised his mug and smiled. "What a most fortunate coincidence!"

Tressa giggled before remembering something. "Oh, that's right! I have something for you, Olberic."

"You do?"

"Yup!" She rummaged around in her bag before pulling out some sort of necklace with a white stone. "This pretty little thing was just hanging around at one of the stands in the marketplace! I figured I'd buy it for you since the tournament didn't give you anything."

"You really didn't have to do that, but... Thank you, Tressa." Olberic smiled at her as he accepted the gift. "I appreciate it."

His smile faltered a bit when he looked a little closer at the stone. "Er, Tressa...?"

"Yeah?"

"... This says 'Number One Dad' on it. I am not a father."

I nearly choked on my scrambled eggs as Tressa's jaw hit the table. Everyone else shared a laugh with the exception of her, Olberic and a quietly smiling H'aanit. Alfyn in particular had to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Th-that wasn't...! I didn't mean to..."

Despite his prior confusion, Olberic let out a chuckle of his own. Then another, and another, until his laughter eclipsed everyone else's in the inn. Maybe the entire town, even. He quickly got a hold of himself. "Ah... Ahem. I understand, Tressa. Thank you. It is not a title I ever imagined myself possessing, but I appreciate the gift all the same."

Olberic placed the string over his head and sat up in his chair. Ophilia cooed and clasped her hands together as the others cheered and expressed their merriment.

"Woah! Therion," Alfyn said, "... Are you smilin'?"

My cheeks went red as the corners of my mouth sank. "... No."

"Hahaha! You totally were!"

"Shut up, Alf."

The rest of the breakfast conversation was full of mirth and laughter. While I couldn't really complain given the circumstances, I eventually had to excuse myself and get some fresh air. It wasn't long before I came across Captain Leon in the marketplace, accompanied by Cecily and Ned.

"Yo," I greeted, hands in my pockets.

"Oh, you're that roguish friend of Olberic's!" Cecily grinned. "Terry... Terio... Fluffy?"

"Therion."

"Heh." Ned folded his arms. "Sir Eisenberg's got a good head on his shoulders. What's he doin' palling around with a guy like you?"

"It was Tressa's idea," I explained. "You know, the little merchant girl who never shuts up?"

Leon frowned. "That hardly seems like a fair assessment of her... She's always struck me as a fine young lady."

"Yeah, yeah... What are you three doing here, anyway?"

"I'm actually leaving in a bit," Leon said. "I'd like to see your group off, if possible. There's no telling when we might get the chance to meet again."

"Wait, they're leaving?" Cecily's shoulders slumped a bit as her gaze hit the floor. "Oh, boo... I was at least hoping that Olberic would stick around a while longer. Maybe we could grab a cup of tea and—"

"No time." I shook my head. "We aren't gonna be around that long. If you wanna say goodbye, now would be a good time. Everyone else is still at the inn."

"Right you are then! Come on, Ned!"

"Ack!" Ned uttered, being almost violently pulled forward by the unrelenting force that was Cecily. "H-hey, slow down!"

Leon chuckled at their departure. "What a strange pair they make. Though I suppose your group is even stranger in comparison, is it not?"

"Heh... Yeah, I suppose so. We followed that map you let Tressa keep, by the way. We fought some monsters, found the eldrite, and ended a tiger's suffering."

"I see I left the map in good hands then." He closed his eyes and smiled. "I can only imagine why Baltazar decided to leave the eldrite in the Grotto of all places, but I think I understand now. He must have wanted it to fall into the hands of a young explorer with a heart of gold."

"That... seems like a bit of a stretch, but okay."

"Tell me." Leon's face grew serious. "Did you come across anyone else while you were in the Grotto? Anyone... unsavory, perhaps?"

I immediately remembered the blonde thief who almost nabbed the eldrite. "Yeah. There was this lady in black; Esmeralda, I think..."

"Esmeralda? That name sounds... familiar..."

The normally composed captain grew tense. "I... fear I must be going. Immediately. Do send Tressa and the others my regards. Farewell, Therion."

"Hey, wait—"

Leon left the marketplace in a haste, striding towards the entrance of town. I felt a sense of dread wash over me, but I shook it off for the time being. He was a capable fighter if his duel with Olberic was any indication, and we had our own problems to deal with anyway. I could only hope that our paths would cross again sometime soon...

For now, though, Stillsnow beckoned us.


End file.
